Pio Gama Pinto was assassinated outside his home in 1965, two years after the country’s independence. These two initiatives, therefore, aim to honor his memory.
Difficult indeed to summarize Pio Gama Pinto, a political activist, and trade unionist. This journalist of Indian origin was at the center of several struggles, which led to him being detained for 4 years and then murdered. In Kenya, he notably fought against British colonization and defended the land rights of locals.
“His Journey Should Not Stay in The Books”
élix Omondi, one of the authors of the “Until everyone is free” podcast, pointed out that the walls of the small room in the Nairobi Gallery were covered with archives that many people were seeing for the first time. He asked why we are not taught all this when in our history books this whole journey is summed up in a paragraph.
The podcast aims to revive what these authors consider to be a neglected part of Kenyan history. It is produced in Sheng, a mixture of English and Swahili, to reach young people in Nairobi. Stoneface Bombaa, at the origin of the project, explains: “Pio Gama Pinto wanted to see people free from all exploitation. Regardless of their origin, gender, or social class. I wanted Kenyans to understand this story, to own it. His journey should not remain in the books, it must exist in the collective memory”.
The exhibition reminds us that questions persist about the assassination of Pio Gama Pinto. A Kenyan was sentenced to death at the time, then released 36 years later.
The exhibition continues until June 30th at the Nairobi Gallery. The “Until everyone is free” podcast is available on all podcast platforms and with English translation on YouTube.