We need to be more creative in the way we honour our heroes

Last week I fell in love with a 13-year-old girl. No, don’t be shocked; I intend to qualify that extraordinary statement urgently lest I spend the next 18 years in some dungeon, the only place where cradle-snatchers should be confined.

I fell in love with the girl’s voice, her poise and deportment, as well as her eloquence and clarity of thought.

Not only can that girl sing, she is a natural, which means a lot in this age of synthetic melodies and riotous lyrics that are oftentimes hard on the ear.

I am talking of the sensational Standard Eight bui bui-clad Leyla Mohamed, the young lady who was introduced to the public by the media just the other day, and who proceeded to prove to jaded Kenyans that, indeed, there is hope in a few members of the coming generation who are not only supremely talented, but are just waiting to be discovered by altruistic talent-spotters.

Leyla was a revelation and we are definitely going to hear a lot from her provided she does not let childhood fame get into her head, and provided she doesn’t drop out of school, which happens quite often to child prodigies all over the world.

TALENT

That would be a big pity for the girl is obviously very intelligent, a rare phenomenon in the world of entertainment.

I also hope that songwriters and arrangers will eventually coax her into trying out original compositions, which will be the true measure of her worth.

But why am I going on about a young girl who has not yet, by any stretch of the imagination, made her mark?

The reason is I fully intend to sit glued to my television set in the hope of listening to her belting out patriotic songs if, as promised, she is given a chance to entertain the crowd at Bukhungu Stadium during Mashujaa Day celebrations.

Sticking to the TV is not something I often do unless I am tallying votes on Election Day, a time-wasting activity that I indulge in simply because everyone else is doing it.

HEROES

Anyway, to go back to my thread, today is the occasion when we celebrate the lives of those patriots who sacrificed their lives or liberty so that we can free ourselves from colonial bondage.

The problem is, 55 years after the events that led to our Independence, we are still conflicted over who our real heroes are.

By this afternoon, there will have been a surfeit of recollections, anecdotes and historical episodes in the media, but very little information that will be really new.

Patriotism has its place, and we truly owe our fathers a debt of gratitude for struggling to free us from the yoke of imperialism, but since we as a nation long ago betrayed our heroes and are now digging at the bottom of the barrel to discover whether there are any left, maybe it is time we did away with the increasingly ennui-inducing pomp and circumstance associated with such days and became more creative in how we celebrate them.

Every nation should honour its heroes and heroines, but what they have done for the country to deserve it should be clear.

INNOVATORS

Must they have been in the bush with Dedan Kimathi Waciuri and Field Marshal Musa Mwariama, General China and others?

Must they have been imprisoned with Mzee Jomo Kenyatta to be recognised as heroes?

What if some of these worthies turned into villains, as a few did, or ended up dead because they insisted on resisting the cannibalistic capitalism which is now gnawing at our innards?

We should, instead, seek ways to honour those who have since Independence struggled to create a more egalitarian society, those who have consistently agitated for a more just society, and those who have come up with technological innovations that enrich us all.

It is always disturbing to discover that some of our compatriots have been nominated for, and actually won, international awards when very few Kenyans knew what they ever did right here.

APPRECIATION

More important, it is clear that there is a great deal of untapped talent among our youth. They don’t all belong to the YOLO generation.

Quite a number have demonstrated that they have a great deal to offer this nation, but they rarely get the chance to showcase their achievements unless they are at a stadium entertaining political leaders.

Let us also seek out those of our scientists, researchers, authors, architects and even musicians whose body of work has been a rich source of inspiration to this country.

Must we wait until international bodies recognise Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o as the best writer this country has ever produced?

Prof Ali Mazrui and Prof Calestous Juma died in foreign lands. I doubt that they received the accolades they deserved in this country.

In fact, it was not until the Nobel Committee recognised Prof Wangari Maathai’s achievements that we noticed the importance of her work.

Before that, she was demonised, harassed and intimidated for telling the truth. Now see where we are.

Mr Ngwiri is a consultant editor ([email protected])