Support to Creative Human Rights Defenders’ efforts of sensitizing communities on Covid-19 intensified
Crisis and uncertainties calls for innovation and creativity to parturition solutions meant to keep communities hopeful, informed and rally their support behind those engaged in efforts aimed at finding solutions to mitigate the effects. COVID-19 pandemic has not been an exception. Human rights defenders from different parts of Kenya are devising innovative and sustainable ways of sensitizing their communities on corona virus disease to keep them safe.
One of the many ways that HRDs have resorted to is through erection of murals on walls within informal settlements in Nairobi. In the month of April 2020, Human Rights Defenders from the Social Justice Centres Working Group-Arts and Sports Department were supported by Defenders Coalition to erect murals on walls in Maringo Estate in Makadara and Kibera area in Nairobi, as an alternative mechanism of sensitizing community members of the corona virus disease.
The first wall painting activity took place on 30 April 2020 at Maringo Estate, where, two walls were painted. On one mural, two medical practitioners clad in protective medical equipment including face masks, are seen holding what seems to be a representation of a globe in their hands and shielding it from what can be interpreted as the dangerous virus of the corona virus disease.
On this mural, the message is to celebrate the resilience of medical personnel, their resilience, risking their lives and sacrifices of not going home to their loved ones at the end of the day so that we stay safe. Moreover, it encourages community members to be part of the efforts aimed at curbing the spread of the disease such as wearing a face mask.
On the same wall, writings such as nawa mkono ukinge jamii, wear a face mask, observe social distance, observe respiratory etiquette while sneezing or coughing were also written to persuade community members on the best practices during this time. Also standing out is a writing meant to address sexual and genders based violence during COVID-19 period which have gone through the roof within the past three months.
On a second wall, a calligraphy was erected with words #FindActivistNjau- an appeal to the public and government agencies’ efforts to address the recent disappearances of Activist Michael Njau alongside his two friends Adan Mohammed Saibu and Samuel Mungai.
On 1st May 2020, Defenders Coalition supported another team of local artists from Kibera to erect a mural on a wall located on one of the busiest street leading in and out of the slum area.
Here, the artists erected murals of two people going through their daily activities; the first one is pulling a mkokoteni while the second one is riding a bodaboda – a motorcycle taxi. Both people are wearing a face mask. Similar messages as those erected on branded walls in Maringo Estate were also written on this wall.
Prior to the wall painting, Defenders Coalition had supported women human rights defenders’ networks in the areas in efforts aimed at enhancing personal and public hygiene and respiratory etiquette during their work.
Defenders Coalition realizes that the effects of measures meant to mitigate COVID-19 are disproportionate between communities thus a need to sensitize them in a way that each community can relate to and act as required.
Human rights defenders, who are local leaders understand their communities well thus a pivotal point in determining the most appropriate way of packaging messages that communities can easily understand for action.
Defenders Coalition will continue to support human rights defenders’ creativity and innovativeness as they play the critical role of sensitizing community members, monitoring human rights violations and supporting the vulnerable to keep community members safe.
