Artists can contribute enormously in alleviating famine.

On Saturday August 27, 2011, renowned Kenyan artists entertained the country with their well rehearsed music and dance moves at Uhuru Park. The live televised Mega concert was meant to raise money for the hungry citizen in Northern Kenya as well as other places where famine has ravaged, It also served as a platform to thank all the individuals and corporate bodies who have supported the Kenyans for Kenya initiative to alleviate hunger pangs.
It was a noble initiative to say the least. The artists proved that they can join hands to deal with issues that affect Kenyans head on. However, these artists were concerned about the recurrent famine in various parts of the country every year.
Indeed, this is a grave matter. It’s the high time that this menace was to be arrested once and for all. There is no reason why Kenya should not be food secure. It’s true that the climate has been erratic in the last 12 years but that is not the reason as to why this country should experience famine. Egypt and Israel are located in desert yet they are food secure.
The Government should come up with a blueprint that will ensure that residents of the Northern Kenya—who are always affected by hunger—are food secure. It is true most of them don’t consider themselves as Kenyans and it is important that Government’s presence in this area should be felt through civic education.
Turkana community that by and large depends on livestock for their livelihood should adopt crops farming. This is possible if the Government and NGOs were to assist in sinking of boreholes.
Artists are very instrumental in influencing the youths’ lifestyles. It is important that they employ their performances to inculcate state-of-arts farming practices to the youths who have been so preprogrammed that one can only make it through white color job.
During the Mega concert, David Mathenge (Nameless) suggested that artists should be conducting concerts in the month of August every year to alleviate famine. That was a brilliant suggestion.However; the artists should aim at advocating for long-term measures that will ensure that footages of malnourished Kenyans will no longer see the light of the day.

James Mwangi Kanyi
Nairobi.