MY EDITORIAL ON FACEBOOK ON THE BAN OF 3 KENYAN ARTISTS

Breaking News: (posted may 17, 2017)

National Museums of Kenya ban artworks by 3 of Kenya's leading artists, Patrick Mukabi, Michael Soi and Bertiers Mbatia, all of whom were specifically asked to prepare work for Thursday's International Museum Day which is May 18th. It was the top management of the museum (or a minority of the management) that insulted the artists in this way. whoever made this decision should have informed the artists before they worked so hard to create works especially for this exhibition.. Instead, they held meetings with the artists and encouraged them to do as the theme of the exhibition advised--- to Speak the Unspeakable, which they did apparently. Unless the artists decide to have their own Unspeakable exhibition to illustrate the Museum's censorship of the arts in Kenya, we the public wont be able to understand that we need to do as the artists who are now in Venice did. they had put their faith in the Government to be true to its word, that it would support the artists and specifically those involved creating the Kenya Pavilion (the first featuring Kenyans themselves not Italians or Chinese). those Kenyans waited for government to come through but when they did not, the artists found their own ingenious ways of reaching Venice and setting up the Kenya Pavilion. Self reliance is the key to further creative development of the arts in kenya. Don't wait for big brother to come with sweet words only to leave you high and dry. Shame on the National Museum. This is why Kenya needs its own National Gallery, and not rely on a museum that showcases fossils and old bones as the best things they have to offer in the way of Kenyan "culture".