Kenya Songs of Protest is a project that explores how art, especially music, has served as a powerful tool for expression throughout Kenya’s history. It highlights the early years leading up to independence, the independence era itself, and the period extending to 2013.

When I received the invitation to the event at Alliance Française, I was genuinely excited. I arrived around 6:30 pm, by which time the program was already underway in the main auditorium.

During the screening, the audience was completely captivated, and the auditorium was filled to capacity. I thoroughly enjoyed the film—the storytelling was outstanding. The filmmakers expertly conveyed the viewpoints of all the experts and united the musicians behind the featured songs. Their insights were genuinely remarkable.

What truly captured my attention was the era of hip hop in Kenya—how young men used hip hop not only as a way to rise above their circumstances but also to shed light on the challenges.

Kalamashaka, Erick Wainaina, Juliani—the list of Kenyan legends featured was truly endless. The documentary covered Kenya’s early days up to 2013, with the added benefit of discussing its ongoing legacy to the present day

After the film, the MC invited the panelists to join him on stage for a brief discussion. Among the panelists were an activist, an artist, and a scholar. What stood out most was their shared love and passion for good governance.

The artist shared her artistic perspective on how she sees Kenya, her plans, and what she thinks can be improved. The activist took us through history and explained how music has always been an integral part of activism.

When it came to the scholar who based all his discipline on changing how his tutors used their voices to transform Kenya, he also had a deep passion for art. I believe he was an active artist, judging by his choice of words.

It was an eye-opening event that I believe every Kenyan should watch, especially the film. Every young person should make a point in their life to watch it. I highly recommend it.

The event concluded with invited drinks and wines for networking and interacting with the producers of the film. That’s when I met Tabu Osusa—I will talk about him in our next chapter. He is a highly respected figure in the Kenyan creative industry.

After introducing myself to him, I went ahead to tell him that this information should reach all Kenyans and that the Kibanda Project is able to work with them on how we can share this information with our people through our project Movie Kibanda Tour. He loved the idea and hopefully our first stop will be Eastlands.

written by Olwa