In Kenya, audiences roar at language in 'Jedi' film

By Compiled From Wire Service Dispatches With Analysis From Monitor Correspondents Around The World; Edited By Linda Feldmann

July 28, 1983

Nairobi

The latest Star Wars movie, ''Return of the Jedi,'' opened in Kenya, but fans aren't cheering for Luke Skywalker or Han Solo. Their favorite character is the alien Nien Numb - because he speaks their language.

''Atirizi inyui mwi hau inyouthe ukai haha,'' said Nien Numb to Lando Calrissian, the captain of starship Millenium Falcon in the film. The sentence had them rolling in the aisles at the Kenyan premiere. The reason: Nien Numb speaks fluent Kikuyu, the dialect of Kenya's majority tribe. Loosely translated, the words mean ''What are you doing over there? All of you please come here.''