"Fire si fire!" The phrase has become a staple of Kenyan street parlance, a meme that transcends its origins to become a tool for political satire and social commentary. But as literary scholars gather in Nairobi this week, the question is: are these viral one-liners the new "memorable lines" of our literature?

Just as Francis Imbuga gave us "When the madness of an entire nation disturbs a solitary mind, it is not enough to say the man is mad" in Betrayal in the City, today's digital creatives are crafting a new lexicon. The phrase "Fire si fire"—often used to mock ineffective threats or lukewarm actions—represents a shift from the stage to the screen.

The Meme as Metaphor

Literature critics argue that the brevity of the digital age has not killed creativity but condensed it. Kenyan oral literature (Orature) is thriving on TikTok, where storytelling happens in 60-second bursts.

• Political Satire: Much like the plays of the 1980s that used metaphor to criticize the Moi regime, today's memes use humor to critique the "Hustler" government without attracting the wrath of the state... mostly.
• The New Canon: Phrases like "Mambo ni Matatu" and "Kitaeleweka" have entered the national consciousness, carrying weight and history in just two or three words. They are the proverbs of the Gen Z era.
• Preservation: The challenge, scholars note, is archiving. Unlike books, a viral video can disappear with a server crash. There is a push to document this "digital orature" before it is lost to the algorithm.

Why It Matters

Language evolves. "Fire si fire" might not appear in a KCSE set book anytime soon, but for the millions of Kenyans online, it captures the mood of the nation perfectly: a mix of skepticism, humor, and resilience.