Our creative economy could yet soar if we loosen our shackles
What you need to know:
- We forget that there are very many good things in each of our cultures. If these were harnessed for the common good, Kenya would be a unique nation, and its creativity, imagination and arts a product to sell on the world market.
- In Kenya, the political definition of "ethnic community" which spends too much time highlighting differences, has sadly been the most preferred to describe communities.
- Instead of claiming that the Luo have many doctors and spending time bragging about it, why not claim they are the most intelligent ethnic community in Kenya and leave it at that?
The Creative Economy Working Group completed its third workshop on the creative economy on Saturday, February 28.
Organised by the GoDown Arts Centre, it was an interesting forum to be part of, especially when thinking of the future of the entertainment industry within the economy.
Predominantly creative types attended, representing art (both visual and crafts), theatre, writers, film-makers, actors, fashion designers, operators in the management of the industry and academia.
This was one of those forums that one can only call inspirational. It is rare to find a group of people outside the National Cohesion and Integration Commission who totally and completely believe in Kenya, her resources, especially intellectual and artistic, and are willing to bet their last coin that the change Kenya is looking for will come from Kenyans.
No wonder then that this sector of our society continues to influence the youth with their music, fashion sense and manner of speaking.
Several points were raised. Kenya has an enormous amount of creative people with varied creativity options, starting from street performers to art works in galleries to producers of advertisements, local films and programmes, to our craftspeople. Yet investment from the government in terms of incentives is very small.
Given that these resources are renewable and inherently present in the Kenyan population, there should be much more investment in art.
This was also an occasion to celebrate Kenyans' contribution to the international creative economy — Lupita Nyongo, Yvonne Muinde, and Yvonne Owour, among others — as affirmations that Kenyans can grow quality to the level where it can be snatched by the international market.
As an operator in the cultural industry, I was particularly impressed by artists' recognition of the roles that culture and language play in the creative economy.
Sculptor Sammy Makau puts the final touches on a carving of a Maasai moran at the Nakuru Jua Kali Stalls on Kenyatta Avenue on February 4, 2015. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Our languages hold an immense potential for creativity that can and will contribute to the economy, now and in the future. They capture our imagination, and marketers will tell you that nothing sells better than the product that has captured the imagination of the population.
A couple of advertisers realised this and half-heartedly created advertisements that used traditional foods to advertise cooking oil, I can almost bet with desirable results.
A company like Safaricom, thought to be predominantly UK-owned, has captured us with the use of Kiswahili in almost all its promotions and in naming their products. Would we be so familiar with "Sambaza" if it was called "money sharing" or M-Pesa if it was called "M-Money"?
Would so many understand and follow competitions if they were not in beautiful Swahili words to which a good majority of Kenyans do not need to be introduced ? They immediately click and Tetemesha, Lipa na Mpesa or win a home. Our own languages have concepts that do not need to be drummed into us.
In Kenya, the political definition of "ethnic community", which spends too much time highlighting differences, has sadly been the most preferred to describe communities.
We forget that there are very many good things in each of our cultures. If these were harnessed for the common good, Kenya would be a unique nation, and its creativity, imagination and arts a product to sell on the world market.
In some parts of the arts, we have also used our cultures to further demean ourselves. Many much-loved ethnic jokes on shows like Churchill Live are culturally insensitive and ill-informed, yet the opportunity to use our cultural stereotypes positively exists.
Instead of claiming that the Luo have many doctors and spending time bragging about it, why not claim they are the most intelligent ethnic community in Kenya and leave it at that?
Instead of claiming the Kamba can kill a chameleon, why not claim that their recognition of all colours gives them a superior place in artistic expression and leave it at that?
If we Kenyans can understand television dramas from Mexico, what excuse do we have for claiming we can't understand poetry, jokes that are not derogatory, stories, plays and art from other communities?
"Riverwood" is one solution. It features movies that have been produced in Kenya, many of which are comedies in mother tongue.
The quality, like so much in this creative industry, is not the best, but it is a starting point from which to grow in all areas, including content and quality.
Twitter: @muthonithangwa
