Kibera Schools Music Festival Success

I wish we could bottle the energy and excitement that was in the air in Kibera on the 19^th February 2010. If we could share that feeling, it would help people understand why Vision Africa does the work it does for disadvantaged children. This day saw the inaugural Kibera Schools Music Festival hosted by Kibera Mpira Mtaani*.

The event was open to informal schools in Kibera and gave staff and students a unique opportunity to participate in poetry, music and dance and show people that there is true talent in Kibera. The theme for the day was “A Reformed Kibera Society” and this was the topic on which each school wrote and performed a poem. Many schools chose to write about peace but one school's poem was a plea to parents to let children go to school as education is the key to changing society. There was also a traditional dance section where we saw brightly coloured costumes, dance routines and in some cases a selection of traditional musical instruments being played.

The focus of the day was on participation rather than competition. Informal schools in Kibera don’t get the opportunities and funding that government schools enjoy so many of them are not used to putting together polished performances or making use of the stage and other disciplines that are judged in the formal musical festivals. This event was an opportunity for schools to learn some of these skills and gain advice from experienced judges. Also on hand with excellent tips for performers was a local music teacher who volunteered to assist in the organisation of the event and shared the benefit of his experience to help the whole thing run smoothly.

Among the audience being entertained by the schools were representatives of Vision Africa. Founders Rev. and Mrs. Packard, Field Director Deborah Kimathi and UK Chairman Bob Dowty were all impressed at the standard of the performances and there were definitely toes tapping in the front row during the traditional dancing. The judges were all local people with knowledge of music, poetry and performance. In their summing up they told the participants that they were impressed with the level of talent in Kibera and encouraged teachers to listen to all the advice that was being given and come back next year with bigger, better performances.

The children were all keen to watch each the performances of other schools and were also able to make new friends. In addition to this, the event gave them a rare opportunity to work as a team, alongside the teachers who were training them, to put together their performance and encourage each other. In Kenya, the education system is dominated by academic subjects that do not allow children to explore their creativity. In informal schools, these opportunities are even harder to come by. We hope that the Kibera Schools Music Festival will become an annual tradition and that talents can be nurtured as there is definitely a lot of talent in Kibera!

Please check out our Gallery for more pictures from this event. If you have any questions about the Kibera Schools Music Festival or the work of Kibera Mpira Mtaani in general, please use our Contact Form to get in touch and select Kenya Team as the recipient.

*Kibera Mpira Mtaani – (Kibera Village Football) a Community Based Organisation that Vision Africa partners with.