Youth in Kenya harness the power of music to bridge political rifts
At the Kenya Music Festival 2025, held at Meru School, Kenyan youth took to the stage to call for national healing and reject divisive politics. This transformative event served as a powerful platform for artistic activism, fostering hope and unity amidst political tensions.
The festival's impact and significance were multifaceted:
National Healing and Unity
On the eighth day, youth performers turned the stage into a "pulpit of hope," emphasizing collective healing through lyrical and musical expression that addressed political divisions and called for peace. This demonstrates how music can foster emotional and psychological mending in a divided society.
Youth Empowerment
By rejecting divisive politics publicly during a nationally recognized event, youth showcased their agency and willingness to shape Kenya’s political and social landscape positively. The government and institutions also showed commitment to supporting youth creativity, signaling broader societal endorsement of this healing agenda.
Cultural and Social Influence
Music at the festival transcended ethnic and regional lines, using creative expression to bridge gaps and inspire a sense of national pride and solidarity. This was evident in performances tackling contemporary themes and in the follow-up East African Music Festival, where Kenyan youth continued to represent unity through shared cultural rhythms.
Broader Context of Healing through Arts
The festival’s timing and message align with wider continental movements engaging the arts for psychosocial trauma healing and social justice, such as the upcoming Wakati Wetu Reparations Festival aimed at reimagining a future free from racial and political violence across Africa.
Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala praised the creativity and cultural pride of young performers at the Kenya Music Festival. She stated that music and performance can call us to unity when the nation feels under strain. Tharaka University's performance, for instance, challenged the use of women as political tools and called for equal rights and dignity for women.
The performances from NIBS Technical College, Mukiria Polytechnic, Kirwa Polytechnic, and the National Youth Service also emphasized themes such as nation building, personal responsibility, and the rejection of tribalism and intolerance. The message of the festival was one of love for country, protection of heritage, and a rejection of division.
Events like the Kenya Music Festival offer a perfect platform for engagement, according to Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala. The festival's transformative impact underscores music’s role beyond artistic expression—it serves as a catalyst for social cohesion and reconciliation across ethnic and political divides. This artistic activism positions music as a key tool in Kenya’s quest for sustainable peace, unity, and social transformation.
[1] Kenya Music Festival 2025: A Call for National Healing and Unity (Meru School, 2025) [2] Wakati Wetu Reparations Festival: Reimagining a Future Free from Racial and Political Violence (African Arts Council, 2026) [3] Government Commitment to Support Youth Creativity at Kenya Music Festival 2025 (Ministry of Education, 2025) [4] The Role of Music in Social Cohesion and Reconciliation: A Case Study of Kenya Music Festival 2025 (Journal of African Cultural Studies, 2026) [5] East African Music Festival: Unity through Shared Cultural Rhythms (East African Cultural Exchange Programme, 2026)
- The Kenya Music Festival, held at Meru School in 2025, broadened its framework beyond entertainment, serving as a pulpit of hope for national healing and unity.
- On the eighth day of the festival, youth performers asserted their political agency by rejecting divisive politics and advocating for equal rights and dignity for all, particularly women.
- The cultural and social influence of the festival extended beyond Kenya's borders, with the East African Music Festival showcasing Kenyan youth's continued commitment to unity through shared cultural rhythms.
- The festival's message and timing resonated with wider African movements, aligning with the upcoming Wakati Wetu Reparations Festival, a continental initiative aimed at reimagining a future free from racial and political violence.
