10 - ‘Gifts of Art for Kenyan (M)Pigs’: Festival of Resistance Against Elite Impunity in Kenya
Corresponding Author(s) : Mokua Ombati
Africa Development,
Vol. 42 No. 2 (2017): Africa Development: Special Issue on Study on Oblique Identity Dynamics
Abstract
Drawing from the combined theories of Interaction Rituals and Symbolic Interactionalism, this article analyses the performance of rituals and the social construction of symbols in the mechanisms of art resistance against elite impunity in Kenya. Through ethnographic research, the study explores the unique varieties of art resistance advanced by Kenyan youth, their primacy, creativity and symbolism in the struggle for social transformation and contention, and the power of those typologies to transform both participants and the general public into more tolerant, enlightened, critical and active advocates of social change.
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- Adams, J., 2002, ‘Art in Social Movements: Shantytown Women’s Protest inPinochet’s Chile’, Sociological Forum 17(1): 21–56.
- Asingo, P.O., 2003, ‘The Political Economy of Transition in Kenya’, in Oyugi, W.O.,Wanyande, P. and Odhiambo-Mbai, C.,eds, Politics of Transition in Kenya: From KANU to NARC, Nairobi: Heinrich Böll Foundation.
- Baylor, T., 1996, ‘Media Framing of Movement Protest: The Case of American Indian Protest’, Social Science Journal, 33(3) 1–15.
- Berger, P.L., and Luckmann, T., 1966, TheSocial Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge, Garden City NY: Doubleday.
- Blumer, H., 1969, Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method, Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall.
- Bormann, E., 1985, ‘Symbolic Convergence Theory: A Communication Formulation’, Journal of Communication 35: 128–38.
- Branch, D. and Cheeseman, N., 2008, ‘Democratization, Sequencing, and State Failure in Africa: Lessons from Kenya’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 108(430): 1–26.
- Buckland, R., 2003, Signs, Symbols, and Omens: An Illustrated Guide to Magical and Spiritual Symbolism, Minnesota MN: Llewellyn Publications.
- Chaffee, L.G., 1993, Political Protest and Street Art: Popular Tools for Democraticization in Hispanic Countries, Westport CT: Greenwood Press.
- Cheeseman, N., 2008, ‘The Kenyan Elections of 2007: An Introduction’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 2 (2): 166–84.
- Collins, R., 2004, Interaction Ritual Chains, Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
- Constitution of Kenya, 2010, The National Council for Law Reporting with the Authority of the Attorney General, www.kenyaconstitution.org/docs/03cd/005/ html/ www.kenyalaw.org, accessed 5 July c2014.
- Durkheim, É., 1964, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
- Durkheim, É., 1984, The Division of Labour in Society, New York NY: Macmillan. Edelman, M., 1995, From Art to Politics: How Artistic Creations Shape PoliticalConceptions, Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Eyerman, R., 2006, ‘Performing Opposition or, How Social Movements Move’, in Alexander, J.C.,Giersen, B.and Mast, J.L.,eds,Social Performance: Symbolic Action, Cultural Pragmatics, and Ritual, Cambridge and New York NY: Cambridge University Press.
- Eyerman, R. and Jamison, A., 1998, Music and Social Movements: MobilizingTraditions in the Twentieth Century, Cambridge and New YorkNY: Cambridge University Press.
- Halfmann, D. and Young, M.P., 2010, ‘War Pictures: The Grostequeas a Mobilizing Tactic’, Mobilization 15: 1–24.
- Hansen, O., 2009, ‘Political Violence in Kenya: A Study of Causes, Responses, and a Framework for Discussing Preventive Action’, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Report, Pretoria, South Africa.
- Hawke, S., 2013, ‘Kenya’s Elections in 2013: Poverty, Ethnicity,and Violence ’, http://socialjusticefirst.com/2013/03/04/kenyas-elections-in-2013-poverty-ethnicity- and-violence/, 3 April, accessed 5 July 2014.
- Human Rights Watch (HRW), 1995, ‘Old Habits Die Hard: Rights Abuses Follow Renewed Foreign Aid Commitments’, New York: Human Rights Watch, Vol. 7, No. 6.
- Human Rights Watch (HRW), 2008, ‘Ballots to Bullets: Organized Political Violence and Kenya’s Crisis of Governance’, New York: Human Rights Watch, Vol. 20, No. 1 (A).
- Issac, L. and Morrison, D., 2010, ‘Visual Amplification in Movement Framing: Poetics of Industrial Workers of the World Cartoon Art’, Social Movement Studies: 1909–13.
- Isaac, L., 2009, ‘Movements, Aesthetics, and Markets in Literary Change: Making the American Labor Problem Novel’, American Sociological Review 74: 938–65.
- Jonyo, F., 2003, ‘The Centrality of Ethnicity in Kenya’s Political Transition’, in Oyugi, W., Wanyande, P. and Odhiambo-Mbai, C., eds, The Politics of Transition in Kenya: From KANU to NARC, Nairobi: HenrichBöll Foundation.
- Kanyinga, K. and Walker, S., 2013, ‘Building a Political Settlement: The International Approach to Kenya’s 2008 Post-Election Crisis’, Stability: International Journal of Security & Development 2 (34): 1–21.
- MacArthur, J., 2008, ‘How the West Was Won: Regional Politics and Prophetic Promises in the 2007 Kenya Elections’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 2(2): 227–41.
- Madison, D. S., 2005, Critical Ethnography, Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications. McCaughan, E.J., 2007, ‘Art and Identity in Mexican and Chicano Social Movements’, Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change 27: 219–59.
- Mead, G.H., 1934, Mind, Self, and Society from the Stand Point of a Social Behaviorist, Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Mead, G, H., 1938, The Philosophy of the Act,edited by C.W. Morris et al., Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Moore, R. and Roberts, M., 2009, ‘Do-It-Yourself Mobilization: Punk and Social Movements’, Mobilization 14: 273–91.
- Mokua, O., 2013a, ‘Graffiti: A powerful Innovative Weapon Broadening the Horizons of Social Transformation in Kenya’,Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situation, www.centreforchildren.be/, (pp. 239–53).
- Mokua, O., 2013b, ‘The Centrality of Local Peacebuilding Methodologies in Kenya’s Sotik/Borabu Border’, Horn of Africa Bulletin 25 (3): 8–12.
- Mueller, S., 2008, ‘The Political Economy of Kenya’s crisis’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 2(2): 185–210.
- Murunga, G.R., 2011,Spontaneous or Premeditated? Post-election Violence in Kenya,Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute.
- Musolf, G.R., 2003, ‘The Chicago School’, in Reynolds, L.T.and Herman-Kinney,N.J., eds, Handbook of Symbolic Interactionism, Walnut Creek CA: AltaMira Press.
- Ng’ethe, N. and Katumanga, M., 2003, ‘Transition and the Politics of Constitution Making: A Comparative Study of Uganda, South Africa and Kenya’, in Oyugi, W.O.,Wanyande, P. andOdhiambo-Mbai,C.,eds, Politics of Transition in Kenya: From KANU to NARC, Nairobi: Heinrich Böll Foundation.
- O’Brien, A.S. and O’Brien, P.E., 2009, After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance, new edition, Watertown MA: Charlesbridge.
- Polletta, F., 2006, It Was Like a Fever: Storytelling in Protest and Politics, Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Reed, T.V., 2005, The Art of Protest: Culture and Activism from the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle, Minneapolis MN: University of Minnesota Press.
- Roscigno, V. J. and Danaher, W.F., 2004, The Voice of Southern Labor: Radio, Music, and Textile Strikes, 1929–1934, Minneapolis MN: University of Minnesota Press.
- Summers-Effler, E., 2006, ‘Ritual Theory’, in Stets, J.E. and Turner, J.H., eds, The Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions, New York NY: Springer.
- Taylor, V., Rupp, L.J. and Gamson, J., 2004, ‘Performing Protest: Drag Shows as Tactical Repertoire of the Gay and Lesbian Movement’, Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change 25: 105–37.
- Tucker, K.H., 2010, Workers of the World, Enjoy! Aesthetic Politics from Revolutionary Syndicalism to the Global Justice Movement, Philadelphia PA: Temple University Press.
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2004,Human Development Report, http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_KEN.html, accessed 5 July 2014.
- World Bank, 2011, World Development Report (WDR), Conflict, Security and Development, Washington DC: World Bank.
- Wrong, M., 2010, It’s Our Turn to Eat, London: Harper Collins.
- Yanchang, D. and Runqing, L., 1991, Language and Culture, Beijing: Foreign LanguageTeaching and Research Press.
References
Adams, J., 2002, ‘Art in Social Movements: Shantytown Women’s Protest inPinochet’s Chile’, Sociological Forum 17(1): 21–56.
Asingo, P.O., 2003, ‘The Political Economy of Transition in Kenya’, in Oyugi, W.O.,Wanyande, P. and Odhiambo-Mbai, C.,eds, Politics of Transition in Kenya: From KANU to NARC, Nairobi: Heinrich Böll Foundation.
Baylor, T., 1996, ‘Media Framing of Movement Protest: The Case of American Indian Protest’, Social Science Journal, 33(3) 1–15.
Berger, P.L., and Luckmann, T., 1966, TheSocial Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge, Garden City NY: Doubleday.
Blumer, H., 1969, Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method, Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bormann, E., 1985, ‘Symbolic Convergence Theory: A Communication Formulation’, Journal of Communication 35: 128–38.
Branch, D. and Cheeseman, N., 2008, ‘Democratization, Sequencing, and State Failure in Africa: Lessons from Kenya’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 108(430): 1–26.
Buckland, R., 2003, Signs, Symbols, and Omens: An Illustrated Guide to Magical and Spiritual Symbolism, Minnesota MN: Llewellyn Publications.
Chaffee, L.G., 1993, Political Protest and Street Art: Popular Tools for Democraticization in Hispanic Countries, Westport CT: Greenwood Press.
Cheeseman, N., 2008, ‘The Kenyan Elections of 2007: An Introduction’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 2 (2): 166–84.
Collins, R., 2004, Interaction Ritual Chains, Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Constitution of Kenya, 2010, The National Council for Law Reporting with the Authority of the Attorney General, www.kenyaconstitution.org/docs/03cd/005/ html/ www.kenyalaw.org, accessed 5 July c2014.
Durkheim, É., 1964, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Durkheim, É., 1984, The Division of Labour in Society, New York NY: Macmillan. Edelman, M., 1995, From Art to Politics: How Artistic Creations Shape PoliticalConceptions, Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.
Eyerman, R., 2006, ‘Performing Opposition or, How Social Movements Move’, in Alexander, J.C.,Giersen, B.and Mast, J.L.,eds,Social Performance: Symbolic Action, Cultural Pragmatics, and Ritual, Cambridge and New York NY: Cambridge University Press.
Eyerman, R. and Jamison, A., 1998, Music and Social Movements: MobilizingTraditions in the Twentieth Century, Cambridge and New YorkNY: Cambridge University Press.
Halfmann, D. and Young, M.P., 2010, ‘War Pictures: The Grostequeas a Mobilizing Tactic’, Mobilization 15: 1–24.
Hansen, O., 2009, ‘Political Violence in Kenya: A Study of Causes, Responses, and a Framework for Discussing Preventive Action’, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Report, Pretoria, South Africa.
Hawke, S., 2013, ‘Kenya’s Elections in 2013: Poverty, Ethnicity,and Violence ’, http://socialjusticefirst.com/2013/03/04/kenyas-elections-in-2013-poverty-ethnicity- and-violence/, 3 April, accessed 5 July 2014.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), 1995, ‘Old Habits Die Hard: Rights Abuses Follow Renewed Foreign Aid Commitments’, New York: Human Rights Watch, Vol. 7, No. 6.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), 2008, ‘Ballots to Bullets: Organized Political Violence and Kenya’s Crisis of Governance’, New York: Human Rights Watch, Vol. 20, No. 1 (A).
Issac, L. and Morrison, D., 2010, ‘Visual Amplification in Movement Framing: Poetics of Industrial Workers of the World Cartoon Art’, Social Movement Studies: 1909–13.
Isaac, L., 2009, ‘Movements, Aesthetics, and Markets in Literary Change: Making the American Labor Problem Novel’, American Sociological Review 74: 938–65.
Jonyo, F., 2003, ‘The Centrality of Ethnicity in Kenya’s Political Transition’, in Oyugi, W., Wanyande, P. and Odhiambo-Mbai, C., eds, The Politics of Transition in Kenya: From KANU to NARC, Nairobi: HenrichBöll Foundation.
Kanyinga, K. and Walker, S., 2013, ‘Building a Political Settlement: The International Approach to Kenya’s 2008 Post-Election Crisis’, Stability: International Journal of Security & Development 2 (34): 1–21.
MacArthur, J., 2008, ‘How the West Was Won: Regional Politics and Prophetic Promises in the 2007 Kenya Elections’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 2(2): 227–41.
Madison, D. S., 2005, Critical Ethnography, Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications. McCaughan, E.J., 2007, ‘Art and Identity in Mexican and Chicano Social Movements’, Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change 27: 219–59.
Mead, G.H., 1934, Mind, Self, and Society from the Stand Point of a Social Behaviorist, Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.
Mead, G, H., 1938, The Philosophy of the Act,edited by C.W. Morris et al., Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.
Moore, R. and Roberts, M., 2009, ‘Do-It-Yourself Mobilization: Punk and Social Movements’, Mobilization 14: 273–91.
Mokua, O., 2013a, ‘Graffiti: A powerful Innovative Weapon Broadening the Horizons of Social Transformation in Kenya’,Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situation, www.centreforchildren.be/, (pp. 239–53).
Mokua, O., 2013b, ‘The Centrality of Local Peacebuilding Methodologies in Kenya’s Sotik/Borabu Border’, Horn of Africa Bulletin 25 (3): 8–12.
Mueller, S., 2008, ‘The Political Economy of Kenya’s crisis’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 2(2): 185–210.
Murunga, G.R., 2011,Spontaneous or Premeditated? Post-election Violence in Kenya,Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute.
Musolf, G.R., 2003, ‘The Chicago School’, in Reynolds, L.T.and Herman-Kinney,N.J., eds, Handbook of Symbolic Interactionism, Walnut Creek CA: AltaMira Press.
Ng’ethe, N. and Katumanga, M., 2003, ‘Transition and the Politics of Constitution Making: A Comparative Study of Uganda, South Africa and Kenya’, in Oyugi, W.O.,Wanyande, P. andOdhiambo-Mbai,C.,eds, Politics of Transition in Kenya: From KANU to NARC, Nairobi: Heinrich Böll Foundation.
O’Brien, A.S. and O’Brien, P.E., 2009, After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance, new edition, Watertown MA: Charlesbridge.
Polletta, F., 2006, It Was Like a Fever: Storytelling in Protest and Politics, Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.
Reed, T.V., 2005, The Art of Protest: Culture and Activism from the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle, Minneapolis MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Roscigno, V. J. and Danaher, W.F., 2004, The Voice of Southern Labor: Radio, Music, and Textile Strikes, 1929–1934, Minneapolis MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Summers-Effler, E., 2006, ‘Ritual Theory’, in Stets, J.E. and Turner, J.H., eds, The Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions, New York NY: Springer.
Taylor, V., Rupp, L.J. and Gamson, J., 2004, ‘Performing Protest: Drag Shows as Tactical Repertoire of the Gay and Lesbian Movement’, Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change 25: 105–37.
Tucker, K.H., 2010, Workers of the World, Enjoy! Aesthetic Politics from Revolutionary Syndicalism to the Global Justice Movement, Philadelphia PA: Temple University Press.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2004,Human Development Report, http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_KEN.html, accessed 5 July 2014.
World Bank, 2011, World Development Report (WDR), Conflict, Security and Development, Washington DC: World Bank.
Wrong, M., 2010, It’s Our Turn to Eat, London: Harper Collins.
Yanchang, D. and Runqing, L., 1991, Language and Culture, Beijing: Foreign LanguageTeaching and Research Press.