His name is becoming synonymous with the in-your-face
fearless type of political and civic activism that always rubs up political
elites the wrong way. The title ‘activist’ in cities like New York, London or
Oakland can carry some progressive prestige. In Kenya, ‘activist’ is a dirty
and dangerous word – at least according to Boniface Mwangi, one of the Kenya’s
most prominent young demonstrators.
One of the most invincible, indomitable and
unassailable men in Kenya, is how one of Boniface Mwangi’s 162,000 Twitter
followers described him in a recent tweet, in response to yet another threat of
arrest received by this young, rising political firebrand. And what a firebrand
he is. Few hold a candle to Mwangi as a critically engaged social and political
activist.
With a blend of art, youthful energy and critical
expression, he has created a socio-political activism that not only
communicates his trenchant critique of Kenya’s political class, but has also
brought it global attention.
As a young activist, he has helped the country’s youth not
only listen to, see and read his political and social activism, but find their
voices of dissent, too.
Mwangi made his start as a photographer with the Standard
newspaper in Nairobi and rose to international fame during the 2007-2008 Kenyan
post-election violence for his up-close and personal photos of the crisis. His images were noteworthy for their graphic portrayals of
bloodshed and politically-motivated ethnic violence.
In addition to the 2008 and 2010 CNN Africa Photojournalist
of the Year awards, the walls of his office are lined with details of other
honours and news articles
about his accomplishments during this period.
about his accomplishments during this period.
After grappling with depression and feelings of helplessness
following the political violence in Kenya, he decided to take his frustration
at the stagnant political status quo and point it in the right direction.“I’m a human being, I have a right to an opinion. They need
to respect that,” he says. “That’s the world we want to live in. And never
underestimate the government – people can be intimidated into silence.”
His most recent run-in with the authorities was in January
during the Occupy Playground protests at the Langata Road Primary School in
Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The school’s students, aged between 8 and 16, were
campaigning against a property developer’s land grab of their playground. Riot
police were called to the school and fired tear gas at the pupils.
The scenes of armed riot police, with tear gas and police
dogs, scuffling with the pupils, were splashed all over the world and social
media, to the disgust of many. Mwangi would later write in the UK’s Guardian
online: “The use of tear gas and dogs to respond to a peaceful effort to
reclaim property rightfully belonging to the school was an unfortunate blight
on the triumph of the day.
“It was unnecessary, and innocent children were hurt by the
security forces’ reckless response. Children know an injustice when they see
one and they react, as we all do, with a demand for justice. I firmly believe
the children got that justice.”
His political views are keenly followed both by supporters
and critics alike. In a recent post on his popular Facebook page he wrote:
“Kenya is 51 years old and [for] 27 of those we have had 3 Kikuyu presidents.
The other 24 years we had a Kalenjin president. In 2017, vote for development
not tribe. Tribalism will destroy us.”
Mwangi began organising political resistance under the
banner Kenya ni Kwetu (Kenya is our Home) in the face of what he saw as
“irresponsible leadership and a culture of impunity”.
He is also the founder or Picha Mtaani, a youth-led peace
initiative which enables young people to become agents of peace and
reconciliation in their respective communities.
In 2011, he founded an organisation that would become a
striking match for underground creative talent in Nairobi. With the help of a
few grants and the sale of his personal photography studio, Mwangi opened
PAWA254, a creative hub in the heart of Nairobi that houses an eclectic mix of
graffiti artists, photographers, journalists and political activists.
The city’s creative class gravitates around the space, which
hosts workshops, poetry slams, film screenings, concerts and weekly events
where people can gather, mingle and discuss the country’s future in an open
forum.
“Art lives in the hearts of people. It’s in music videos,
it’s in photos, it’s everywhere,” he says, noting the lack of artistic cohesion
in East Africa. “I wanted to bring art to the streets. I wanted to take spoken
word poetry into the streets, graffiti, music, and photography. We would use
these tools to speak to people in a common language.”
In 2012, Mwangi devised a campaign to stir the pot of
political apathy in Kenya by working with local graffiti artists to create
street murals decrying violent tribalism and governmental negligence. Working
under the cover of darkness, the murals would satirise Kenyan politicians and
prominently feature words like greedy, selfish, ineffective and power-hungry.
“Graffiti is an art, and it’s an art that should be
respected,” Mwangi says. “So we took something that was once considered only
vandalism and made it mainstream. People saw another way of communicating, that
has never been seen before in Kenya.”
He has also worked with up-and-coming Nairobi bands and
performance artists, helping to shape their music with more political
undertones.
“We live in a country where musicians don’t speak about
social issues. Kenya’s biggest artists will never speak about social change.
Why? Because of corporate interests,” he says. “I don’t want my message to be
owned by anyone. The day you become big enough to defy social norms, and they
still hire you, then you’re setting the standards.”
Mwangi is notorious for bringing artistic imagination and
flair to the public protests he has helped organise. One such event featured
live pigs covered in blood roaming the streets, while another saw a crowd
deliver 49 wooden coffins to the doorsteps of the Kenyan parliament. Mwangi’s
public stunts have led to blackmail and even death threats, amid accusations
that he is under the patronage and payroll of Western foreign governments or bodies,
something he condemns and strongly denies.
Since a big February 2014 protest was shut down before it
even began, Mwangi has tried to keep a lower profile, working more behind the
scenes with artists and creative Kenyans. Though he is tight-lipped about the
future, he says big things are in the works.
“My mother used to tell me that in the 60s and 70s, people
would come from all over East Africa to experience Nairobi. It was a safe city
then,” he says. “I want them to be able to come back.
“But how do we do that if there are no jobs and the citizens
aren’t safe? This needs to be a good place to bring up your child – we change
Kenya from the inside, then the whole world
will be able to see who we really are.”
will be able to see who we really are.”
And whether through political theatre, public art, or making
creative spaces for others, Mwangi is sure to play a big role in however Kenya
changes.
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