•The courage and bravery of these creatives to speak truth to power has not only irked political leaders but also provoked fierce responses.
Censorship should be a concern for every human being because it affects freedom of expression. Every newborn child announces their entry to the world with a cry, a communication that should not be interfered with. Through the cry, the child expresses to the mother and society at large that they have arrived and must be heard.
Just as newborns announce their arrival, artists like King Kaka, Eric Wainaina, Juliani, Gado, Mufasa, Dorphan, Wanuri, Sauti Sol among others have boldly and artistically expressed themselves in exposing the ills bedeviling our society.
Through their socially conscious creative work (music, cartoons, spoken word, stage plays and films) these artists have perfectly played the role: being mirrors of society.
The courage and bravery of these creatives to speak truth to power has not only irked political leaders but also provoked fierce responses. Authorities have been co-opted in vigorous but totally inappropriate efforts to silence alternative voices that fight for social justice, equality and inclusion.
Curtailment of Freedom of Expression has succeeded through tactical use of crafty and obsolete laws to ban creative work, intimidate and threaten passionate and outspoken artists.
These tactics seem to have succeeded with certain artists retreating from giving expression to our ethical and national values. This leaves just a few audacious enough to challenge the status quo and inspire the push for change. The tactics are at the expense of the larger community which suffocates with bad leadership.
Dangers of silencing Freedom of Expression
Sankara Thomas was one of the most brilliant minds and greatest revolutionary we have ever lost. His legacy, wisdom and spirited fight against neocolonialism and imperialism, continue to inspire many in Africa and beyond. In one of his famous quotes, Sankara says ‘Che Guevara taught us we could dare to have confidence in ourselves; confidence in our abilities.
He instilled in us the conviction that struggle is our only recourse…” Sankara would never allow any law of imperial origin or colonial undertone to constrain his freedom of expression and struggle. He gave his life for it.
Curtailment of freedom of expression amounts to a violation of Article 33 of the Constitution of Kenya, that promotes freedom of imagination and expression deeply embedded in our national values.
Kenyan history is filled with examples of overt government censorship, especially exploiting the colonial Cap 222 - the 1962 Films and Stage Play Act. Such laws are the reason creatives oppose censorship. A democratic society such as Kenya is based on the principle that every individual has the right to choose the kind of arts they want or don’t want.
When we allow the government to limit us beyond the express provisions of our Constitution, for example like in the case of Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s work or more recently Wanuri Kahiu’s, Rafiki film, we relinquish our freedom of thought. Censorship is like poison gas, a weapon of mass destruction: It's affects everyone.
Like fresh air, Freedom of expression is for everyone. It is at the very heart of our democracy. Freedom of expression is all about curiosity and ability to understand the world, navigate it, and change it. Everything in the world of imagination is possible. The way we change the world is first to imagine, then acting on that imagination. Curtailment of this freedom impedes artistic freedom and even scientific inquiries.
What we all ought to know is that most transformative ideas are those that sit at the periphery. That the dominant in our society should have a monopoly over values, should not be the case. We all need the space to be able to interpret the world in our own way. One person’s interpretation is not necessarily another’s.
It is proven that sustained development operates in the context of freedom. Freedom allows for a vibrant economy. With freedom, marginal populations will participate and help drive the economy by their inclusion and contribution to the competing pool of ideas. This is very necessary for social, economic and political growth of a country.
Stifling the imaginations of creatives stagnates the economy. Countries that have freer space for expression tend to develop faster than those curtail such freedoms.