the season of Big rain (Mbura ya Njahĩ) (2020)

From her program notes, Kariũki writes:

“I never hesitate to look for guidance and inspiration for my pieces in home, Kenya. My ethnic group, the Kikuyu, are farmers, and seasons are based on planting and harvest. The season of ‘big rain’ is known as Mbura ya Njahĩ, which refers to the rain that comes that allows the beans to grow (usually from April to July). When writing the piece, I found myself thinking of the sound of the tapping of rain on the roof of our home in Kĩrĩnyaga, where my father and his sisters grew up. It is one of my most favourite, most peaceful places to be.”