Pupils have used the Kenya Music Festival to present items on issues close to their hearts. This was visible on day two of the 92nd edition of the annual festival at the Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology in Nyeri.
Sony Sugar Primary School presented a choral verse My Brother, highlighting the plight of the boy-child. In the verse, the persona empathises with her brother, who suffers neglect from their parents. She wonders how the brother is expected to lead the society in future yet he is left out of so many things, including emotional and moral support. She says while she is showered with expensive shopping and enrolled in a boarding school, her brother only receives a tooth brush, bar soap and toothpaste.
Withdrawn society
St Stephen Primary School took to the stage with the verse Hi Five! reflecting on how withdrawn the society had become. The poem appeals to the audience to embrace friendship and to be each other’s keeper. It suggests that we are able to surmount many problems and challenges facing society today if we pull together.
With a similar theme, Vidhu Ramji School sought for a better working relationship between students, teachers and parents to end poor performance in examinations, especially in sciences. “How can I pass Mathematics whilst I hate my teacher?” they recited. In their verse, Doomsday, Machakos Primary School told of the numerous nightmares children experienced in their sleep as a result of watching too much violence and negative news on TV. Doomsday asks parents to protect the children from harmful media content, at least so that they can sleep soundly. Moses Mudavadi Primary School from Vihiga presented the verse Smart Phone, poking fan at parents whose attention was constantly on their mobile phones. Smart phones, they recited, is creating too many absentee parents. “Mother, what did I do that the Smart phone is more interesting and important to deserve such attention,” poses part of the verse.
