The 98th edition of the Kenya Music Festival has emerged as a platform for advocacy, public awareness and talent development.
This year’s edition of the festival, being held at Kibabii University in Bungoma County, has seen participants use music and other performances to address issues ranging from teachers’ welfare and financial literacy to data protection, environmental conservation and wealth creation.
Teachers are using performances to champion their welfare, while government agencies advance public-interest messages and private companies tap into the creative talents of young people.
The changing role of the festival was evident in performances by teachers, who used the platform to communicate their concerns and advocate for better working conditions.
Maxwell Ouma, a music composition student at Kabarak University and pioneer of the Coast Teachers Training College choir, said teachers could use music to air their grievances without resorting to street demonstrations.
“We as teachers are tired of resorting to demonstrations to fight for our rights. We know the Kenya Music Festival is a much better platform to air our views as teachers,” Ouma said.
He said teachers were central to nurturing the talents showcased by learners and therefore deserved greater recognition and support.
“The focus is usually on the students and what they perform, but behind those students is the driving power of the teachers. We want people to know that talent comes from the teacher who is empowered to nurture those students,” he said.
The festival has also attracted government agencies and corporate organisations seeking to use music and spoken word to reach wider audiences with messages on contemporary issues.
A new advertisements category has provided organisations, including the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and Equity Bank, with an opportunity to communicate their messages through student performances.
The performances have tackled issues such as data privacy, environmental sustainability, financial literacy and wealth creation.
However, adjudicators have maintained strict standards, cautioning participants against poor text setting, where fast tempos, inappropriate delivery or loud instrumental accompaniment can obscure the intended message.
The increased use of music as a vehicle for public and commercial messaging comes as the government seeks to strengthen the creative economy and enable young people to earn from their talents.
Kenya Music Festival Executive Secretary Janet Langat said efforts were underway to support digital monetisation of talents showcased at the festival.
“I would really like to thank the E-Citizen under the Somaplay who have come on board to support us to monetise the talent through the support of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD),” Langat said.
She said the initiative was aimed at helping learners and trainers turn their talents into sustainable sources of livelihood.
The festival has also embraced learners with disabilities, giving them an opportunity to compete and showcase their artistic abilities.
In the Kiswahili Choral Verse category for learners with hearing impairment, Tumutumu School for the Hearing Impaired emerged as a national winner, followed by Givavei Friends School for the Deaf and Murang’a Special School in second and third positions, respectively.
The category was sponsored by Equity Bank for the first time, with the lender providing Sh240,000 in cash prizes for the top three schools and their trainers.
Equity Bank Head of Education Peter Ndoro said the decision to support the category followed a request from special needs education advocates.
“As Equity Bank, we were challenged by the leadership of the SNE to consider the category. We are happy that this year, because of the deep interest we have in our special needs learners, we decided to sponsor this class,” Ndoro said.
He said the bank wanted learners with disabilities to have opportunities to develop their talents and benefit economically from them.
The bank also supported teacher training colleges participating in the festival.
Machakos Teachers Training College won both the CBK and Equity Group special composition classes, which focused on climate resilience and wealth creation, earning Sh. 200,000 and two trophies.
St John’s Teachers Training College and Kenyenya Teachers Training College emerged second and third, respectively, in the Equity genre, receiving Sh50,000 and Sh30,000.
The developments at the festival point to a growing recognition of music as a tool for education, advocacy and economic empowerment, rather than merely a form of entertainment.
With government agencies and private companies increasingly supporting specific categories, organisers hope to create more opportunities for learners and teachers to benefit from the creative economy.
By Chris Mahandara
