sauti ya mtaa / tubonge - Anthem Republiq (Waweru Muthoni) & Stephen Mwangi, Kenya
Sauti Ya Mtaa is Swahili for ‘The Voice Of the Hood'. Tubonge is Sheng for ‘let's talk'. Both of these two phrases relate to the struggle of marginalised communities to be heard and freedom to dialogue towards social change. Dialogue is a necessary tool for societal growth and development. Art cultivates a culture of community dialogue and reflections; art documents these dialogues, can propagate particular reflections and advocates for change.
For as long as residents can remember, stories of informal settlements in Kenya have been documented and told by those who do not reside in these areas. Consequently, the stories have been tainted by a narrow perspective that has harmfully stripped community members of their onus to narrate their own stories. Sauti Ya Mtaa aims, rightly so, to give back the power of ownership to community members and allow stories to be told by community artists, survivors of human rights violations and community experts.
Sauti Ya Mtaa will be an audio and visual podcast for the community, where members will engage towards collective healing by sharing stories, analysing communal struggles and engaging in solution-based conversations. Through this, we will be able to collect and document stories of human rights abuses occurring in our community, reflect on our community’s wellbeing and provide practical solutions that will allow us to imagine and activate an alternative, positive future for Mathare.
Stephen Mwangi is a political activist based with the Mathare Social Justice Centre and the broader Social Justice Movement. He is also a law student and engages community members in understanding how they can collectively use the Law as a tool for social change. Anthem Republiq (Waweru Muthoni) is an active member of the Mathare Green Movement and is a co-founder of Art Republiq, an art hub that champions youth empowerment and transformation through art. Spoken word and rap are the heart of Waweru’s performances. He is also the co-founder of LoKo 254, a film production organisation of young people.
podcast series
TUBONGE ARTIVISTS working on the podcasts.
