According to the 2020 Global Gender Gap report by The World Economic Forum, the living conditions of Kenyan women ranked 109 out of 153 countries. 70% of Kenya’s population make their living through agriculture, however, factors such as toxic culture have excluded Kenyan women from ownership of land or inheritance of land. As a result, women in rural Kenya continue to struggle to financially sustain their families or themselves. This means that they cannot afford basic health, food or decent shelter. Even with land, the entire country’s agriculture is dependant on the bimodal rainy season. With climate change and little to no support from the government to improve outdated methods of farming, a section of Kenyan women have turned to the medicinal use of marijuana for themselves and their children, they’ve turned to cultivation and selling of marijuana all of which is illegal in Kenya, just to survive the tough economic times in Kenya. I am taking this opportunity to use my platform to spark the beginning of a conversation about the plight of Kenyan women in Kenya’s economic scene. The inspiration for this song came from the Kenyan women whose dignities were left in shambles in news headlines and police cells just for trying to survive. These women are our grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties we need to collectively fight to restore their dignity by creating spaces that allow for equal opportunity between men and women so that women can thrive financially.
Written and performed by Marianne Mandy Connect with Marianne Mandy here:
Lyrics Thank God for the tree and the air Hakuna matata No cry if I’m no millionaire Hakuna matata No stress when the government cheats Hakuna matata When man bring fists say Hakuna Matata