Drama Festivals Present Talent Wastage

By John Harrington Ndeta  
Nairobi, Kenya. April 16, 2009- The just concluded 2009 National Drama Festival was an embodiment of societal dissipation in Kenyan.  

All pieces of art presented during the drama festival were based on themes, which reflected the past, current and future state of affairs in Kenya.
 
The budding artists from various Kenyan institutions highlighted issues such as post-elections, violence, corruption, political aggrandizement, poverty, moral decay, among other social ills in their works.  

As Kenyans watched these young artists showcase their talents, it was obvious that these youngsters were using their artistic work as an outlet to reshape opinions and change the minds of Kenyans on several issues. 

When the festivals came to a close mid last week, as it has been the tradition for several years, the best schools were picked to go to the State House to entertain the president. 

President Mwai Kibaki threw a banquet for his guests, and the youngsters took advantage of this rare opportunity to deliver a stellar performance.   

If Kenya has such great artists, then why is our marker flooded with foreign films? 

Why are countries such as the United States and India so advanced in art while Kenya still lags behind?

Despite having great talents, Kenya still has no name in the art industry. As evidence from the just concluded drama festivals, the change of behavior amongst Kenyans will spring from change of heart and attitude through works of art.  

Skeptics continue to lament that Kenya’s cash-strapped government cannot afford to bankroll the production of fine pieces of art. My question is, why spend millions of shillings to counter the effects instead of dealing with the causes?  

Be it HIV/AIDS or corruption, poverty or illiteracy, what the government and her development partners do is fight the effects and not the causes. 

It’s high time the Kenyan government considered devoting more resources to works of art. It should also develop the master pieces these youngsters showcased to ensure that Kenya builds her own brand that can sell locally and compete internationally.  

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