SPEECH BY HIX EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE KENYA MUSIC FESTIVAL STATE CONCERT AT STATE HOUSE, NAKURU ON 11TH AUGUST, 2006
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to join these young artists on this occasion of the 80th edition
of the Kenya Music Festival. First of all, I want to commend the children, young
men and women for the excellent performances of music, dance and poetry presented
before me this morning. The creativity displayed in the presentations is an
indication of the high quality of training and dedication by the performers,
their teachers and instructors. More importantly, it demonstrates that our young
artists possess enormous talents that should be harnessed and developed for
their future benefit and for the benefit of our country as a whole.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Music is an important form of artistic expression, which serves as an ideal
medium of sensitizing and educating members of society on various issues. Indeed,
this aspect is particularly vital for our youth who participate actively in
music and dance activities. I am therefore pleased to see that the Kenya Music
Festival continues to feature themes of considerable importance to us as a nation.
For instance, some of the themes that were highlighted in the Music Festival this year, include lessons on eradicating corruption from our society, honouring our duty to pay taxes for the development of our country, peaceful co-existence, and encouraging the youth to observe upright conduct that will shield them from dangers of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS. These are very crucial issues in our society today. As the Music Festival comes to an end, I urge you not to forget the things you have learned from the performances, but to reflect on the messages they carry, and the obligations they place on each one of us. I also encourage you to take these messages to your friends and communities so that they can benefit from what you have learned here.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition to its role in educating society, music is a key medium through
which our cultural values and traditions are passed on from generation to generation.
Music, dance and poetry are therefore important media of communicating and preserving
our indigenous knowledge.
It is in recognition of this important role of music, and indeed, the creative arts in society, that my Government has continued to support extra- curricula activities in our schools. Last year, the Government set aside 139 million shillings to facilitate full participation of public primary schools in these activities from the District to the National level. These funds were used to provide transport and accommodation of primary school pupils from public schools. My Government will continue to ensure that the 7.6 million children in public primary schools are given opportunities to participate in extra-curricula activities in line with our commitment to the development of the youth.
I am indeed pleased to note that the Kenya Music Festival involves pupils and students from all levels of learning in the country. This year, over 70 nursery schools, 1,200 primary schools, 730 secondary schools, and 60 middle level colleges and universities participated in the festival. In total, 24,000 male students and 47,000 female students took part in the music festival. While I am happy to see that female students are very active in extra-curricula activities, I must point out that any society must be built on a partnership between men and women. I therefore urge male students to participate actively in all school and community activities. Some of the things you learn from extra-curricula activities will turn out to be major assets as you face the world of work in the future.
Moreover, music is today a global commercial industry that generates billions of dollars for composers, performers, record companies, and other players. You should therefore view the music industry like any other profession that can provide gainful employment and positive rewards for those who invest their time and energy in pursuing a career in music.
Accordingly, you young people should not view this annual music festival merely as a source of entertainment, but as an important activity that can help you to discover your natural talents. I am happy to see that participants in this music festival include nursery school children. Talent must be tapped at an early age and nurtured to maturity. By involving these young children in extra-curricula activities, we shall succeed in developing necessary skills for a vibrant creative industry in which our young people can earn a decent livelihood. I also urge our musicians in the country to take full advantage of the technological changes that have taken place in the music industry. The digital revolution in music is having profound effects on the way music is produced, distributed and consumed. In particular, the advent of E-commerce has provided a cheaper way of selling music to the public. E-commerce provides a means of cutting costs through on-line retailing. Indeed, through the Internet, our musicians can now gain easy access to the local and international music markets.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am aware that piracy is costing the music industry huge amounts in lost revenues
every year. Piracy is denying musicians, publishers and record companies a just
return on their hard work and investment. My Government is committed to addressing
this problem by maintaining a strong copyright regime. The police, the judiciary
and all stakeholders should join hands in apprehending and prosecuting pirates.
I also appeal to Kenyans to support our young local musicians by rejecting pirated
music. Let us all say "NO" to music piracy. On their part, local musicians
should desist from using obscene lyrics in their music. Let us uphold decency
in the music that we produce and market to our young people.
Today more than any other time in our history, Kenyans are appreciating local music, and we can translate this into a moment of opportunity for our youth. In addition, the Government is taking additional measures to promote the creative arts. These measures include the improvement and expansion of relevant facilities. For instance, the Kenya National Theatre has been renovated. Through the Ministry of Youth Affairs, my Government will continue to support the youth to enable them realize their full potential. On their part, the youth must commit themselves to the pursuit of the realization of their dreams. They should at all times avoid behaviour that can jeopardize the achievement of their goals in life. In this regard, I want to reiterate my call to the youth to be principled and upright in their conduct, and to refrain from engaging in activities that can expose them to the risks of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am happy that many organizations have positively responded to my request to
support this national event. I extend my gratitude to all the corporate and
public institutions that have supported this event. As patron of this Festival,
I thank them all and call upon other institutions of good will to support the
co-curricula activities organized by our institutions of learning. I am aware
that organizing this Festival has been a very challenging and demanding task.
I thank all those that played a part in making it a success. In conclusion,
I once again congratulate all the winning teams and their teachers for their
good work. As you travel home, I wish you all safe journey and happy holidays.
Thank you and God Bless You.