Makmende is a fictional

Kenyan ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

character which has enjoyed a popular resurgence after an adaptation by

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

's musical group Just a Band in the music video for their song ''Ha-He'' on their second album, '' ''82'''' (2009). The video became the first

viral Viral means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). Viral may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spread a marke ...

internet sensation originating from

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

History

The word ''Makmende'' is a sheng ( Swahili slang) word which means "a hero". The name supposedly originated from the Kenyan neighborhood playgrounds. Anyone who thought they could do the impossible or a particularly difficult task was always asked whether they thought they were Makmende, since only Makmende could do or attempt to do the impossible. Makmende was a Kenyan childhood hero that had ability to handle all sort of chores, could win all childhood games, and was very energetic and strong.

Resurgence

The video, directed by

Jim Chuchu Jim Chuchu is a Kenyan film director, photographer, singer-songwriter and visual artist. He first came to attention as a member of Kenyan music group Just A Band and subsequently as director of Kenyan LGBT film '' Stories of Our Lives''. Career ...

and Mbithi Masya, became a

internet sensation and Kenyans launched an internet campaign for the "

" on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and other social media. The videos references

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

and

kung-fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

movies in its style and features ''Makmende'' fighting with a variety of humorously named characters in a fictional city. The success of this video and the subsequent internet discussion has centered on the ways in which

Kenyans The demography of Kenya is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics. Kenya is a multi-ethnic state in East Africa. Its total population was at 47 558,296 as of the 2019 census. A national census was conducted in 1999, although th ...

were adopting social media. The cover graphic of the video has a black and white monotone portrait picture of Makmende placing a red head band across his forehead with the words ''MAKMENDE AMERUDI'' which is Swahili for ''MAKMENDE IS BACK''. The role of Makmende on the video was played by graphics designer

Kevin Maina Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

, who had little previous acting experience. As of April 2010, the ''Makmende'' website was one of the most visited by

Kenyan ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

users, and the meme had a quickly growing fanbase on

and

. The Makmende story has also featured on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

and was presented by CNN's David McKenzie. Makmende has also featured in articles in popular Kenyan media.

Scholarly discussion

The meme is discussed by

Heather Ford Heather Ford is a South African researcher, blogger, journalist, social entrepreneur and open source activist who has worked in the field of Internet policy, law and management in South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. She is ...

in an ethnographic analysis of African contributions to Wikipedia, entitled "The Missing Wikipedians".Ford, Heather.
The Missing Wikipedians
" In Lovink, Geert, and Nathaniel Tkacz. ''Critical Point of View: A Wikipedia Reader''. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2011.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.makmende.co.ke Fictional Kenyan people

Names A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A persona ...

Internet memes