The Africa Law Tech Concert was held on 8th March at the Sarit Centre in commemoration of the International Women’s Day. It brought together the public, musicians from different genres, gender experts and human rights defenders.
The concert, dubbed #OnlineSafetyForHer sought to demystify digital rights from a woman’s perspective. It had been noted that the growing use and adoption of technology had widened the gender divide and drastically increased violence against women and sexual minorities. This is through revenge porn, cyberstalking, surveillance, cyberbullying and general online harassment. This has, in turn, limited the participation of women in the online space. The concert aimed at increasing public awareness on these issues and offer a way forward. The concert also provided a safe space to celebrate the female essence in the best way possible- through music.
The concert was a fun-packed family affair that featured musicians who entertained the crowd in different genres of music, ranging from jazz to soul to spoken word and Genge. Among those who graced the stage included girl band Nadra who gave us some beautiful sounds with a breathtaking and soulful rendition of Shaggy’s Strength of a woman. Nicole Angeta, a spoken word artist from Nairobi took to the stage and gave us a thought-provoking performance on women and mental health. Kendi Nkonge gave such a soulful and moving performance that the audience couldn’t help but sing along. The Red Akafellaz made the audience feel Jazzy while Juliani took to the stage for some Genge medley and his famous head shakes and moves.
Speaking at the event, Dr Sheila Wamahiu, a gender and child rights expert spoke on the rising cases of gender-based violence against women and noted that it was on an all-time high. She emphasized the need to come together as a society to provide safe spaces for women, both online and offline. “The law not only needs to change but also hold each other accountable.”
Here are some pictures of how the day went. Images are all courtesy of Africa Law Tech. Check out more of the concert here.
