A group of models and musicians have come together under the Safe Engage Foundation Organisation to champion anti-FGM messages in Kuria.
Speaking during an art and modelling session that brought together local artists at the Safe Engage foundation grounds in Kehancha town, Miss Magdalene Chacha, a professional model and Miss Continuity Kuria 2024, said that the session aimed to provide a safe forum to champion the anti-FGM messages.
Chacha said that FGM remained the biggest mental challenge in the Kuria region despite numerous efforts that have been put in place by the government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to fight the menace.
Chacha also added that the modelling industry will continue to act as an avenue to propagate against the vice to ensure that the rights of a Kuria girl are protected and valued.
The model also explained that through modelling and other forms of art, a Kuria girl can be educated to grab potential careers in the industry to empower herself economically.
Chacha, however, noted that the models have also been receiving negative messages from some members of the Kuria community believed to be in favour of the FGM vice when trying to advocate for anti-FGM.
“We have been called bad simply because we are in the modelling industry, trying to fight against retrogressive vices like FGM, GBV, and child labour,” lamented Chacha.
Roy Nyage, a model from Kuria, echoed Chacha’s sentiments, saying that the modelling industry will continue to champion the rights of Kuria girls to protect them from harmful cultural practices like FGM, early marriages, and Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Nyage said that through Safe Forums organised by organisations like Safe Engage NGO, the modelling world will lay better foundations for young girls by giving them the power to self-actualise their rights in society.
He noted that FGM does not give Kuria girls education papers to advance in life, yet it’s only through better education that the community can be empowered economically.
“We are encouraging our girls, who are majorly Gen-Zs, to focus on education to become innovators and drive the Kenyan economy forward instead of being dragged backwards by a culture whose time has passed,” stated Nyage.
Dennis Karanja, a gospel musician from Amani Gold-NGO, emphasised that it’s through music and art that societal problems like early marriages, teenage pregnancies, new HIV infections, child labour, and GBV can be addressed.
Karanja, who is also a Person Living with Disability (PWD), said that the above problems have been affecting youths, women, and PWDs, subjecting them to abject poverty.
He explained that he will continue to use his talent in music to advocate for anti-FGM and other retrogressive cultures and traditions in Kenya.
By Geoffrey Makokha
