If there is one statement I’ll never forget as a literature student is how art mirrors what is currently going on in a society. Most students at the time didn’t really understand this statement in its deepest meaning but the more we grow, the more we understand. “Fasihi ni kioo cha jamii,” our Swahili teacher would never fail to remind us.
Recently USIU had their annual cultural event, which the organisers should be applauded for doing a brilliant job. The event was a success as different students from various parts of the world showcased their unique cultures. Kenya’s own team performance was met with equal praise and criticism. Deciding that this was a tribe less, party less generation – they opted not to use a particular tribe’s culture and opted instead to showcase the matatu culture. Then begun the mapangale dances. Mapangale, a form of dance that has been gaining momentum in the country, initially had some countrymen unamused. Recently however, most of us have been warming up to it. Watching those violent dances, in contrast to the other peaceful, happy cultures left alot of questions in my head. Is this where we are currently as a country? All these dances reflect what the country is currently undergoing and from where I am seated, it looks like a cry for help. Blood is being shed everywhere but the youth have found a way to express their emotions in their art. On the surface it seems like all is well, guys are dancing to such dances and people are having fun but the undertones are deep and could easily be missed by the majority. I pray one day this country gets the peace we so much deserve.
Some of the images from the USIU cultural event of 2025. The last image on the left are Kenyan students showing the nganya culture and on the right are Tanzanian students showcasing the singeli culture.
Where am I going with all these? The things I am talking about might seem unrelated but keep reading. You’ll realise at one point that somehow, they are intertwined. Exist USIU, enter Butere girls. While watching all that has been unfolding with Burete girls and their play “Echoes of war” that has gained international attention, I remembered that something similar happened years ago. On digging deeper I found out it’s Butere girls that was on the hot seat again with another play of theirs that went by the title “shackles of doom.”
Shackles of Doom was done in 2013 and gained so much publicity that the court had to intervene and reinstate it after it was banned by the ministry of education from performing. Echoes of War (2025) faced a similar predicament, only this time it was worse as their sound systems were cut off and equipment denied, rendering them unable to do their thing even though the court had lifted the ban by the ministry of education. Shackles of Doom majored on Kenya’s struggles with tribalism, unequal distribution of resources and everything the country was facing at the moment, heavily in sync with the public’s general consensus.
Set in a fictional kingdom where the youth have lost faith in their leaders, “echoes of war,” truly mirrors the current state of affairs. Heavy on it’s agenda is battles with the police, giving us deja vu from last year’s protests by young people against the 2024 Finance bill.
What is it about “Echoes of war” that makes the government so uncomfortable? Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t be better for the kids to do their thing quietly without much interference, than all the circus going on that ends up putting the play under the limelight while drawing unnecessary attention to it. Seems counterproductive to me. Unless ofcourse, this is very well orchestrated to divert attention from an even bigger issue.
Something else that really worries me is how desensitised and detached the citizens of this country have become from social and political issues. Have the youth been shouting and “occupying” so much that they no longer care about anything anymore? Or, once again, is that the plan by the hidden hand playing it’s cards in such a way that come the next elections everyone will be exhausted, fatigued and at the point of not caring anymore. The way random things are popping up everywhere, everyday makes me think of the chaos theory.
It’s quite scary when you realise that an order was given by an authority somewhere for high school kids to be teargassed and no one seems perplexed. Just another Monday, right? The way things seem to be going, two weeks from now we’ll have another even more horrifying incident to talk about. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a whole nation becomes desensitised.
The fence sitters, those scared of spoiling their social aesthetics and team , “as long as it doesn’t concern me I’m good,” what can I say. One day you will know why everything concerns you, even though it might not look like so at the moment.
Finally, those who are usually the first ones to shout that children should never be involved in politics, I hope you’ll match that energy when the same children are paraded to sing songs of praises for the same politicians.
