PROTEST POETRY, A NEW FORM IN KENYA'S FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY
The event marked a milestone in Kenya’s protest poetry. Gufydox and Mufasa used this event as an indictment to the Kenyan society which is complacent as politicians squander national resources. They wanted the audience to reflect on who is to blame for bad governance and rampart injustices.
Renowned Kenyan constitutional Lawyer and public Law Professor P.L.O Lumumba once said; ‘The forests keep changing but the monkeys and their habits remain the same.” This was in reference to Kenyan politics which, 61 years later has never changed despite the change in leaders and most recently constitution. As it were, two Kenyan poets, Gufydox (Ogero Oscar) and Mufasa (Ken Kibet) staged a show –“You Remind Me of Someone” – on 7th December at The Braeburn Theatre along Gitanga Road in Nairobi to reflect upon the similarities between the current leadership and that of Kenya's second president Daniel Toroitich arap Moi.
The poetry event was packaged on nostalgia as the two top poets took the audience down memory lane on Kenya’s history. Kenya has been through five presidents within a span of 61 years. Of the five presidents, the country has been besieged by rampant corruption, massive tribalism, cronyism, abductions, torture, and assassinations.
Despite this, the Kenyan citizens are still content with voting along tribal lines and choosing a leader perceived to be wealthy and with a huge political experience. To cut this pattern of voting, the incumbent president William Ruto declared an end to dynasty rule and ushered in a political shift from traditional dynasties to what he called the hustler movement. Riding on the wave of the church as a God-fearing hustler threatened by the old oligarchs, Ruto would endear himself to all and sundry especially ‘Mama Mboga.’ He would parade Mama Mbogas in his campaign trail including televised live debates.
Gufydox photo by Balusi Mugoha
Kenyans believed in Ruto’s conviction for change until when he assumed Office in 2022. Like Otieno Kembo in Margaret Ogolla’s The River and the Source, Ruto assumed office with avarice and glee emptying government coffers and appointing his closest allies into senior positions. With wanton corruption, cronyism, and incompetence, the public rebelled. The height of the rebellion would be the June anti-finance Bill Protest aka Genz protest that rocked the nation.
The youth were now on the roads crying foul about what seemed an apparent betrayal. On the other hand, Ruto’s administration caught unawares, responded with police brutality against the protestors. There were reported killings, casualties, and abductions. The government's brute force managed to keep the protestors off the streets.
Even though there are minimal street protests today, the youth are still at it on social media putting the current administration on watch pointing out government excesses and unpopular policies like the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), the new university funding, cattle vaccination, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP.) The protestors are also against extra-judicial killings like the now rampart femicide.
Mufasa photo by Balusi Mugoha
Even though Social media is Kenya’s official government opposition, this is not easy because police brutality has followed the majorly young unemployed protesters at the comfort of their keyboards with abductions and unexplained threats. Besides social media, Kenyan creatives are staging art shows to cry foul against the government. Through shows like, ‘You Remind Me of Someone,’ artists are adding their voices to the growing public discontent.
Mufasa and Gufydox are top Kenyan poets and their shows are majorly sold out- ‘You Remind Me of Someone’ was one of them. The artists had to make two showcases to accommodate their diehard followers.
With a full house, the artists explored the June 25th GenZ protests and through their art condemned police brutality. There was evident pain and fear among those attending the show- the pain was brought about by the fact that those who died, died defending the very freedoms they are fighting for now. Fear was in the air because, despite the public outcry, the government was still complacent. They were not afraid that they could be abducted but afraid because the leadership was slowly burning the country to the ground.
Gufydox photo by Balusi Mugoha
Mufasa is a well-known protest poet. He has showcased his talent in the past lamenting on the injustices in governance. Together with renowned Kenyan sheng poet Teardrops, they brought Nairobi to a standstill with their show ‘Hii Chapta’ highlighting on chapter 6 of the Kenyan constitution on leadership and integrity in 2016. Other shows include Unchained Voices, Blame My Roots and 7 Poems. In these shows, Mufasa has shown the power of art in calling out the vices affecting society. He has delved through delicate issues like femicide condemning the killing of Mercy Keino among other young women in Kenya and also the subject of integrity in leadership. His art is powerful and persuasive. He wants his audience glued on the performance, his voice, and the word choice.
Gufydox on the other hand, is a soft-spoken poet whose work has majorly steered him to the sensibilities of society. Since the launch of his album, Misimu in 2016, Gufydox has always tugged at the emotional cord aiming at the heart to let out the pain most of us shield with vanity smiles. Through ‘Going Gufy,’ ‘May I,’ The Other Things and Love,’ and ‘Nairobi Dating Stories,’ among other shows, Gufydox has been a forefront leader in the healing power of being vulnerable and talking it out. However, he has also been on the frontline in the fight against bad governance. Some of his pieces allude to the insecurity brought about by opportunistic leadership. His pieces also beckon the audience to stand up and fight for their rights. In a resigned voice he has also beckoned on the security forces to exercise caution because the protests are geared to bring results that will benefit all including the children of the police officers.
Bringing these two voices in ‘You Remind Me of Someone’ brought to the table an interesting discussion on where Kenya stands regarding its leadership. Whereas there is a public outcry on the current leadership, the public ought to recognize that: their own political decisions, stemming from 2013 brought the current leadership into office. It was a moment of self-reflection on how best to make the right political decisions to avoid a repeat of the current political alignments and arrogance from those at the helm.
The performance also highlighted the role of religion in governance and how people’s belief systems can be an influence in making the wrong choices. Donning religious fatigues, the two poets satirically displayed the sharp contrast between the vestments and the wearers' beliefs. Whereas the cassocks are symbols of piety, the wearer could nonetheless be the wolf ready to feed on the unwitting followers. They clearly ridiculed the church for offering platforms to politicians thus propagating the culture of manipulation and bad governance. It was a clear call to separate church from political rallies. They pointed out that the church is home to healing broken hearts and not peddling political lies stamped by a hallelujah.
Mandela Ambasa photo by Balusi Mugoha
Apart from political reflections, which pointed at the rebirth of the dictatorial regime of Moi in the current administration, there was also a walk down memory lane reflecting upon the music of the early 2000s, food, and games. The laughter and sing-alongs brought about fond memories of the past and bathing in these memories those in the auditorium reflected upon the milestones made in cultural growth yet we were all stuck in a political rut.
Besides Gufydox and Mufasa, other performers included Mandela Ambasa and Justin Wanda.
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