Art can be a disruptive form of expression and a powerful tool to shift existing political and social realities. However, in Kenya, the creative industry is often corrupt, and the government ignores many young artists, especially those who speak up for democracy and human rights. The Kenyan psychologist and human rights defender Salima Macharia shares some insights gained through her daily work with young artivists (artist + activist) from informal settlements in Nairobi.

The "Missing Voices" human rights network from Kenya which grew out of the Police Reforms Working Group Kenya (PRWG-K) is fighting on the front line to end the vicious cycle of police abuse of power. They partnered with Juliani, Flawless Konya, Mugureness, Anthem Republiq, and Abudabi Tembekali to create ‘Uwaga’ a music video aimed to inspire Kenyans to stand up against police brutality by illustrating the power of unity and re-imagining a nation whose principles are founded on equality and justice. 

This spoken word piece by Loveth Liberty explores how a rising young Nigerian population could inspire 'another story' much different from today's reality.

The Thought Leadership Programme at Triangle Project was identified to address the historical legacies of Apartheid South Africa. Young Black LGBTQI+ people in South Africa still bear the brunt of our history and do not have innovative and structured places to create social mobility to participate in the democratic agenda. These young LGBTQI+ people are often left out in contributing to change and governance due to the lack of a good civic education which not only plagues South Africa but the African continent at large.  

The Overactive Cyborg is a visualizer project that covers themes that include over-extractivism of Africa’s resources in the form of minerals for production, class struggles and access, overproduction, and over-consumerism leading to climate change and global warming.

These days it is easy to become pessimistic about social cohesion and the state of democracy. But the results of the recent Polish elections show that it pays to fight for democracy.