“What makes a Kenyan a Kenyan? Skin color? Language?,” the horseshoe-bent line of twenty young girls posed to the Kenyan adults. “No! NO!,” their strong voices echoed in unison, reverberating within the corrugated metal walls and roof. Surrounded by hundreds of children in a rainbow assortment of colored uniforms – purple and yellow, orange and blue, red checkers, red with grey and blue socks, pink and royal blue, green checkers, grey and navy plaid – I felt a smile of being profoundly impressed creep across my face as the powerful voices recited a powerful message. “We are proud Kenyans. Kenya’s national heritage – our pride.” This was just one of many poems I heard primary school aged children reciting at the poetry competition as Mgunkuni School yesterday.
In an education system where rote recitation is the key to success, how will children be able to learn critical thinking skills, and then apply them to serious real-world issues like water conservation, national identity, and peace along ethnic divides? One primary school teacher is using the poetry competition as a means for passing on messages regarding serious issues facing Kenya today. “We have so many meetings and they don’t listen to us. Maybe they’ll listen to the children.”
The message of another poem, the effect amplified by recitation in a group, plastered furrowed brows and pleading eyes on the children’s faces as they begged, “Spare me, mama. Spare me!” This one was about water – an increasingly dire situation in my town of Makindu. The price of water quadrupled as of March of this year and for almost a week in May we were without running water, and that shortage discounts the sporadic outages. Despite numerous town and government meetings regarding the issue, an ongoing saga continues to unfold with new information making the internal politics of the situation ever more interesting. So for now, I sit tight with my reserve tank full, waiting for a resolution to this ever-pressing issue.
Though my favorite poem came in light of the post-election violence and ever-present ethnic divisiveness in Kenya. “Unite, peace, and liberty is a possibility.” After hearing the profound and powerfully delivered poetic messages, a friend leaned over to me and said, “If these children believe what they are saying, you will see a change in Kenya in your lifetime.” I would agree. If these children do become embodiments of these poems’ messages, one cannot be left with any doubt that a positive change will come to Kenya as the next generation comes into its own.
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