[Imc-africa] Succesful Peace Concert

[Bwakali David John]

Dear All,
I trust you are fine wherever you are. This way, Kenya finally found peace when the two opposing parties signed a peace deal that ushered in a power sharing arrangement. Last saturday, we held a succesful peace and empowerment concert at Mukuru slums in Nairobi. The bear zero budget concert was spearheaded by Warriors, a grassroots movement group that joined Kenya IMC  a couple of months ago. During the concert, young people from the slums were trained about making peace chains using beads and wood. This chains are being sold locally to raise money which can sustain group members and the young people who make them. One thing we have realized as Kenya Indymedia is that we must constantly address the issue of sustainability and empowerment. The Warriors have also come up with the first edition of a print magazine known as Small Axe. Find below the profile of this magazine:

Smallaxe mag is a quarterly edition published under the hospice of the Warriors Self-Help group that umbrellas; Mystic Warriors an acrobat troupe,The Warriors Band a live musical band, Blak hillz.media a production house and Kijiji Cultural House a curio designer outfit. 
 
 Smallaxe magazine's intention is to reach the so called unpublished and unsung heroes of the underworld, branded as ghettos. Having lived,raised and experienced through observation, the writers know exactly the huddles to be jumped in these informal settlements. These writers would want to change much in these ghettos but the myriad conditions makes it near impossible to do so. 
 
 Armed with their great passion minimal resources, notwithstanding they strive to change the only thing they can be assured of making any head way. They write. Write about heroes who choose to think global and act local in the very sense of the word. Avidly inspired to better their lives and their posterity despite their current oblivious situation. 
 
 For this reason and this alone Smallaxe magazine is designated to go towards acknowledging efforts that otherwise would have been wasted in futility.Distributing to its rightful owners whose stories have been hammered into a template of despair, fires, rampant crime and drug dependency.Smallaxe magazine want to paint a picture of happiness, hardwork, humility and peace that the slumsdwellers are so abundant in if only were allowed to express their feelings.
 
 Although community radio rave has made sure that certain issues are discussed and dealt with fully like the case of the Hiv/AIDS and family planning. We at Smallaxe strongly believe  that until all can be reached, informed and re-educated on their rights then justice will be abused by the powers that be. 
 
 No splitting hairs on issues of language, appeal or price,we write with a mind set that if our audience does not as much as want to know what is written he will not cork up his ears and help to overhear from the grapevine. 
 
 Overall the Smallaxe would want to dispell the overgeneralized view that the people in the ghettos are there because they wish to be there and its because they lack the proper education or are ignorant of it that even basic rights like right to know are the sole reserve of the exclusive elite class. 
 
 In  the spirit of giving back to Mother nature  the Smallaxe  magazine  would like to  use  a substantial  amount of  each publication to plant an indigenous tree in its bid for making this world a peaceful and self-sustaining place to live in. Ironically, Smallaxe not for hewning down trees but caring for them. 
   
  

       
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