By Alex Roberts
Members of the creative sector and Nairobians are showing their displeasure at last week’s shooting of DJ Evolve by MP Babu Owino at B Club in Nairobi.
The shooting has had widespread ripple effects, including calls for both justice to be served to Owino and for firearms to be banned in Kenyan night clubs to further ensure that everyone has a safe night out (and that politicians of privilege are sent a message that musicians aren’t just there to be subjects of their violence).
Gregg Tendwa, an activist within Kenya’s creative sector, himself a DJ (notably as a member of Bengatronics) and a friend of the EA Scene is spearheading one such campaign to ban guns from Nairobi bars and clubs. Tendwa has started a petition on Change.org; with a goal of 5,000 signatures, of which the petition has reached well over 4000, however, this is a vital petition that the EA Scene firmly supports- and if possible we want the petition to get well over its goal.
Tendwa’s statement on the petition is as follows: “We want to stop the culture of allowing guns into entertainment spaces in Kenya, while demanding justice for Felix Orinda, popularly known as DJ Evolve. He was shot twice in the neck on the morning of Friday January 17, 2020 at B Club, Nairobi. This incident bring to question the state of workplace safety in public places of entertainment.The DJ Fraternity in Kenya and the diaspora calls for immediate action by Club Owners and the relevant government authority to bring to book the perpetrators of the crime. Be part of the community that stops impunity and demands justice. Sign this petition and lets make our clubs safer places of entertainment!”
We both endorse and encourage our readers to sign this petition, both to encourage safety of themselves and others and to stand in solidarity with DJ Evolve and the musicians of Kenya.
A link to the petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/club-owners-no-guns-in-our-clubs?recruiter=1035332727&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&recruited_by_id=87737cb0-3bba-11ea-a882-d7b6269d8226&share_bandit_exp=abi-20123012-en-GB&share_bandit_var=v3&utm_content=fht-20123012-en-gb%3Av10
