START OFF WITH PEACE: Art4Leadership

Mitchelle and Faith Before the performance

Dowe Music & Arts Students 

 Without any shadow of doubt whatsoever, 2019 is a great year. We are so grateful for those who supported us in the just ended 2018. Amidst it’s ups and downs, we pulled through and now here we are, going strong!

On January 12, 2019 Douglas, the director of Dowe Music & Arts joined other passionate youths as a participant of Cohort 6 in a leadership training that will take place between January and March this year. The first session was on self-awareness and it is a good report from the fellows that the facilitators did their job well. We are also grateful that it is in this event that the song No To Poor Leadership got airplay and it being a simple tune, everyone sang along joyfully.

We are joining YALI’s theme for the year #LeadingforImpact as we shall be organizing Art4Leadership events more prepared and seasoned for the same. It’s a brilliant year and we can not operate below the standard.

Starting us off was an event at the American Corner on SOCIAL INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY. The facilitators were Joseph Njinju (YALI Alumni) and Douglas Ogutu. He reminded young people that at the very basic essence, every one should be treated as first human and then  the rest can follow.

Joseck, Yali Alumnus Welcoming youths

From Dowe Music & Arts, the song Different Colors by the late Lucky Dube was tweaked a little and you can only admire how the young people echoed the line, We are ALL Kenyans. It is our hope that this message will keep ringing in the participants’ heads until they influence all their circles to embrace love, peace and harmony.

On Thursday 24^th 2019, it was a glamorous day of starting off our Art4Leadership Concerts. Held at the Knls Nakuru, the event was in partnership with the American Corner, Mid rift Human Rights Network and The YALI Network. The main Speaker, Mrs. Winnie Machila, the head teacher of Milimani Primary School gave a motherly advice to young people to embrace peace. She challenged all an sundry that if we all cultivated peace, vices such as corruption would find it hard to sprout.

Mrs. Machila Addressing Youths

The musical performances as well as poetry from the Dowe music Team was all about peace love and harmony. Through the easy-to-learn own compositions, the audience couldn’t help but sing through as they pick up the challenge posed. The resolution for all the participants was that peace is everyone’s role. Dear reader, do you mind taking up the individual task in upholding peace.

The writer is the founder of Dowe Music & Arts