This archive report was first published on 4 June 2020.
Kenyan Artistes Speak Out Against Police Brutality ¶
Kenyan artistes Nyashinski and Octopizzo have joined the growing chorus of voices condemning police brutality in Kenya.
On June 2, 2020, Nyashinski took to Instagram to share his personal experience with police harassment and the loss of friends due to police brutality.
"Police brutality and murders have become so bad and common here in Kenya. It pains me deeply. I've been harassed by cops, my friends have been harassed and I've even lost friends to police bullets and my story is not unique," Nyashinski wrote on Instagram.
He further pointed out that Kenyans directly relate to the late George Floyd's issue in different aspects, citing the widespread experience of racism and police brutality across the world.
"It's so sad and especially us Kenyans relate with George Floyd in so many ways, All across the world, even in places where we are the majority (like here), we are still terrorized, raped, murdered, wrongly accused, imprisoned, suspected of being violent, abused and treated like we are less than others because of the color of our skin," he said.
Octopizzo also added his voice to the growing condemnation of police brutality, urging his white friends and colleagues to speak out against injustice.
"If you are a white friend, colleague or work mate and you are keeping silent or 'neutral' during this time. I don't wanna talk to you anymore and I hope you know why. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor," he said.
The killing of George Floyd has sparked a global movement against police brutality, inequality, and racism, with many Kenyans joining the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
