By David Jomo
Art is the ultimate mirror of the society. This kind of relationship is quite sacred in that it is the
same society that feeds selected members of the larger crowd with a muse for painting itself.
With dissatisfaction with the governance undertaken by the current regime, Gen Zs flooded the
media and streets with declarations of what needed to be done for their thirst to quench.
'Reject Finance Bill, Ruto Must Go, Occupy Parliament and Total shutdown' were notable
hashtags that reached the limelight.
Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Chinua Achebe's writings take us back to the start of new Independent
African states. African first leaders taking over the colonial masters descends grief to the
societies of that timeframe. Police brutality, abductions and victimisation were the order of the
day to any critic. Dictatorship on artists made a foreign musician sing a praise song for our
Second President to allow her to perform a show in Kenya.
Perhaps due to fears for their lives, artists of that era relied heavily on metaphors to convey
their messages. Characters, plots, songs, and various forms of artistic activism often obscured
real names while still reflecting the realities of the world around them.
One recipe witnessed in the whole revolution process is using of art to propel the Gen Z
agenda. Both performing and silent art were used. Poets broke the shell of fear and directed
ice-cutting words to those in office, the president included. Singers, dancers and vocalists, with
the rest of the tone ululating, blew trumpets and whistles, a typical popular culture in practice.
Even though books have not yet been published, considering the time needed to have ideas
down in print, we should expect more radical literature in the coming days. Books that will take
an active place in putting leaders on the radar. Just as books such as The River and the Source
had profound effects in zeroing feminism agenda in the young Kenyans in school, generations
that come later on will have a more functional system of governance.
In all, we can say that time will tell, and art will show the truth.
