Nation building and cyberspace security dominate music festival

Patriotic and peace-building songs dominated yesterday’s menu of the 96th Kenya Music Festival at Moi Girls, Eldoret.

The presentations did not shy away from the fact that conflict is a common occurrence among people.

This comes against the backdrop of the recent Gen-Z demonstrations against and eventual storming of Parliament.

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Their counterparts Kitui Teachers Training College could not have been more tacit warning Kenyans they should not destroy what they have as it will take ages to recover, citing examples of many African countries bedeviled with war and conflict.

“At times we take our hard-earned peace for granted. But just take a look in our neighbourhood and you realise the folly of not keeping the peace,” they warned as they gracefully danced to the sweet melodies of the music rendered in Kiswahili.

In the same vein, students were cautioned on the use of cyberspace and the gadgets thereof, including cell phones.

These special compositions on avoiding online vices raised the red flag on how fast cyberspace was taking over family engagements and direct human interactions.

In their performance Moto Wangu by Austine Muhati, S.A Joytown School said though the internet facilitates learning, supporting classroom material in a cheaper, more accessible fashion, the community should provide a supporting environment in protecting the learners from the vagaries of the internet including violence, explicit sexual content as well as abusive and trolling elements on the social media.

From the Coast, Kwale Girls were livid as they depicted how young people have fallen into violent online content with some ending up committing suicide or homicide.

Kirembe Secondary School rendered Nidhamu Mtandaoni by Vincent Nyaoka and produced by James Okewa warning the thrill from the internet can kill. Other schools participating included Karabondi mix, Kolanya Girls, County Girls, Mwangaza Boys among others.

In the end, Kipsigis Girls from Rift Valley won the contest and were privileged to get the golden trophy, this time presented by the father of First lady Rachael Ruto, Mzee Samuel Kimetto Rugut..

The stages were lit with spectacularly presented music and dance as performances in several contested classes at reached climax.

Yesterday, learning institutions oozed energy and confidence in their quest for glory at the 2024 edition of the national event and ahead of the much-anticipated State concert scheduled for Friday.

From upbeat traditional dances to soothing zilizopendwa (a fusion of traditional African music and Congolese rhumba) genre, school talents filled the air with stellar stage performances.

Maasai and Samburu traditional dances stole the show, with schools from Narok and Kajiado dominating the top spots.

Ololulung’a Boys High School impressed adjudicators to emerge top in the Maa traditional dances, scoring 92 per cent. The victors were hopeful of participating in the Tuesday gala, an event that organisers said is expected to be graced by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Guided by Mark Parsampei, Ololulung’a Boys presented Siyaya, a Maasai dance that praises heroic morans during successful cow births.

Parsampei said they chose the Maasai Siyaya traditional dance to bring out the importance of celebrating victors and expressing gratitude to individuals who succeed in shaping society.

“It took a lot of practice to achieve the win. We had a unique white skin on the feet of our participants and our gear heads were on point. We scored highly because of our originality,” said Parsampei.

Narok High School came second in the category after scoring 90 per cent.

Najile Boys from Kajiadio thrilled enthusiasts with Entim ang Oolowu arak (a Maasai song titled that translates to Forest of Lions), which is sung to praise morans who spend most of their days in thickets, protecting cattle from lions while St Charles Nyansabakwa from Nyanza presented Nkitangai nangor (my beloved cow), which praises a Maasai’s most precious resource, the cow.

Agape Hope Schools representing Nairobi performed Mating’idata (Samburu celebrations song) while Labari Shereki secondary school from Isiolo presented Singolio Sidai (Samburu folk song sung for initiates after male circumcision).

“We chose a Samburu song because it was unique. Our attire was natural and well selected,” the schools’ trainer Alex Alava said.

Friends Vihiga High School won the Pop Gospel category with their song Icyambu. The song was originally done by Israel Mbonyi.

Chavakali High School won Zilizopendwa with live accompaniment.

Schools are set to contest the top positions in various classes today.