Creative arts and expression has been taunted as the surest way to handle and tackle challenges facing communities as well as promote peace in the country by the young generation.
Youths in the country and especially students in secondary, tertiary and higher learning institutions have been spotted as the main agents of social cohesion among communities through creative arts and storytelling, tools that have proven to be effective in bridging societal and communal gaps that often cause disunity among regions and communities.
This was revealed during the culmination of a 9-month programme, by a non-governmental organisation dubbed as Narrative-4, designed to foster social cohesion and tolerance among Kenyan youth through storytelling and creative expression.
The programme that was unveiled in 40 secondary schools in Nairobi and Mombasa in September last year, has seen over 800 secondary school students equipped with skills to become compassionate leaders in their communities.
The programme comes as youths continue to be engaged as advocates of peace and national cohesion as the country heads towards the 2027 general elections.
Narrative 4 Director of Africa Operations Buchi Onyegbule said that the programme is designed to arm youngsters with crucial skills that will enable them provide solutions to challenges facing their communities as well as building bridges among communities in the country which will further promote peace and tranquil interrelations.
The Director noted that beneficiaries of the programme are using creative arts and storytelling to understand one another and build stronger communities adding that when students’ voices are heard, they have power to change the world. “A new generation is shaping a more united and compassionate Kenya,” he said.
He noted that the young generation plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic of their communities and the country at large adding that preparing them to be agents of peaceful coexistence and compassionate leadership will safeguard the country’s future.
Buchi at the same time reiterated that the organisation will partner with the government, upon success of the pilot project, to expand the program’s scope to more schools across the country.
Ishmael Beah, an international author renowned for his books including A Long Way Gone and Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, who was the chief guest at the event, noted that storytelling has a unifying power which can be exploited to build storing peaceful bonds among communities.
“Stories allow people to walk in each others shoes and see each others humanity-to acknowledge and recognise each others differences in a deeper way. This is what is missing in our communities, countries and the entire world,” he said.
Narrative 4 works in six countries in Africa including Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa. Some 42,808 students took part in Narrative 4 programmes across the continent in 2025. The organisation works in schools and universities, engaging young people in initiatives to make positive changes in their communities.
The project is supported by Creative Visions and Students Rebuild through Unique & United, a global year-long initiative inviting youth aged 5–20 around the world to use creative expression as a force for unity and positive community impact.
“Through mentorship and guided creative programming, the young people will continue developing their creative leadership skills in the coming months. Students in the 40 participating schools are set to join Narrative 4’s continent-wide Cities School Challenge, aiming to build creative solutions to local challenges and create stronger communities,” Buchi said.
Kenyan students Shammah Zulema of Kongoni secondary school and Timon Gitau of The Nairobi School, welcomed the programme saying that it’s playing a crucial role in changing their mindset and modelling them into peace-builders and change-makers in the society.
