Abstract:
The drama festival, an annual calendar event organised by the Ministry
of Education (MoE) in Kenya, is largely a co-curricular activity,
approached by many participants from the perspective of competition
rather than the advancement of peace. The general public in Kenya
has not yet realised the potential of the festival to establish and sustain
a culture of harmonious existence among people of different ethnic
identities. Through the use of research based evidence, this brief
advocates for the mainstreaming of peace based themes in the structure
and delivery of drama festivals within the MoE framework as well as in
other co-curricular initiatives of the ministry - such as the music festival,
science congress, ball games and other sports. The brief advocates for
the realisation of the eight national goals of education through the use
of non-formal educational experiences that not only entertain but also educate diverse groups of people.84 This brief is addressed to officials in
the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Science and
Technology, National Cohesion and Integration Commission in Kenya,
as well as financial partners supporting the drama festivals, and peace
based civil society organisations.