By Salwa Mahmoud
Lamu is full of young people with raw talent. They sing. They drum. They dance. They paint. They write. They perform. They carry the weight of culture on their backs. They have entertained. They have educated. They have raised awareness on health. They have brought communities together. They have created jobs for themselves where none existed.
And what have they received in return? Nothing. Silence. Disrespect.
Year after year the county government chooses outsiders over its own. Musicians are flown in from outside countries like Tanzania. They are paid millions. They are given VIP treatment. Meanwhile, the local artists of Lamu are left with scraps. They are told to share a tiny budget among themselves for an entire festival.
Look at the so-called Lamu Cultural Festival. The event that is supposed to celebrate the soul of Lamu has become a stage for outsiders. Local artists who live here all year are treated as curtain raisers. They are asked to warm up the crowd and then step aside while outsiders take the stage, the spotlight, and the money. The county government is ready to pay millions to the outsider musician rather than invest in its own local musicians to rise to that same level. This is betrayal.
When youth complain, the excuse is always the same. Local musicians cannot mobilize crowds. That they cannot make the festival vibrant. But this is a lie. Every great musician who fills stadiums today once stood where these youth stand now. Unknown. Small. Struggling. The only difference is that those outsiders were empowered. They were supported. They were given platforms and opportunities until they grew into stars. Lamu youth can do the same. They, too, can rise. They, too, can pull crowds. But only if they are given the same support.
Worse still, when a Lamu artist finally breaks through and makes a name for themselves, that is when politicians rush in. Suddenly, they want photos. Suddenly, they want to stand beside success. Suddenly, they want to tell the public they helped. But they did nothing. They were absent when the artist struggled. They were absent when talent needed support. They only appear when the cameras are on.
Even for those who want to grind and grow their art, the reality is cruel. Musicians in Lamu lack platforms. They lack a stage. In the whole of Lamu Count,y there is not even one standard stage where artists can showcase their talent. There is no space to commercialize their events. There is no proper structure to help them earn from their art. A county that claims to celebrate culture has not even built the basics for its own youth.
What happens next is tragic. These talents fade. They give up. They have no one to hold their hands. No one to expose them. No one to push them forward. They have nowhere to showcase their gifts. So they quit. They bury their dreams. They die with their talent. And that is the saddest part. Lamu is losing a whole generation of voices, skills, and stories that will never be heard because no one gave them a chance.
And here is the irony. Instead of artists uniting to lift each other, to fight for each other, to grow together, they are pushed into fighting against each other. They argue over crumbs. They compete over who gets a tiny slot on stage. They measure who has more potential, who gets a little more recognition, and who earns a little more than the rest. Division grows because support is missing. What do you expect when an artist is not united, not supported, not respected in their own land? This is the bitter fruit of neglect.
So instead of paying millions to outside musicians why not invest in Lamu’s own talent Why not build platforms to nurture them Why not expose them to wider markets Why not give them the same chance that outsiders were once given If Tanzanian musicians can be flown in here then why can’t Kenyan musicians be flown to Tanzania Why is this relationship only one sided Why is the county blind to this truth
This is not supported. This is exploitation. This is politics. Leaders compete to show off who looks more powerful instead of competing to see who can actually build youth talent.
Enough is enough. The county cannot keep saying it cannot employ everyone while at the same time refusing to invest in the one sector where young people can employ themselves. The creative economy can feed families. It can create jobs. It can drive tourism. It can give young people a future. But only if it is taken seriously.
Policies must exist. Platforms must exist. Budgets must exist. Opportunities must exist. Without them Lamu youth remain invisible. With them, they can thrive. They can earn. They can create a future.
Stop treating Lamu’s youth as background acts. Stop flying in outsiders for millions. Stop stealing credit once success is already achieved. Recognize the talent here. Invest in it. Build for it. Respect it. Lamu youth deserve the spotlight. Not the sidelines.
