{"id":26895,"date":"2025-11-04T15:04:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/?post_type=story&p=26895"},"modified":"2025-11-04T15:10:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:10:06","slug":"willie-artist-spoken-word-kenya","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/en\/stories\/willie-artist-spoken-word-kenya\/","title":{"rendered":"Willie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Arts and culture are essential for building a safe and just world. The most effective way to promote democratic rights, freedom, \u00a0and universal human rights globally is through the\u00a0support and protection of local and grassroots artists. Many artists face significant pressure and risks, and to defend democratic rights, they need both security and space to carry out their work.<\/p>\n

A voice for change in Kenya<\/h2>\n

Willie Oeba is a spoken word artist from Kenya. For over a decade, he has been combining irony and metaphors, writing and performing to advocate for civil, political, and women\u2019s rights in Kenya. In addition, he is involved in mentoring young artists and activists, inspiring them to become role models for social justice. His long-standing commitment to social justice and activism motivated Willie to apply to the Artists\u2019 Safe Haven art residency and relocate to The Hague from March to June 2025. His goals aligned perfectly with the initiative\u2019s purpose in providing rest in a safer and creative environment where he could find a renewed sense of clarity and different approaches to his artistic practice.<\/p>\n

During his three-month stay in the Netherlands, he aimed to connect with the local artistic scene and audiences, form strong alliances, focus on wellbeing, improve his digital security skills, and work on recording a new album.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

Connecting through creativity<\/h3>\n

Due to Willie\u2019s extroverted nature, he quickly built a network with spoken word artists, musicians, and producers in the Netherlands. Building upon the networking opportunities that the programme facilitates, as Justice & Peace offers connections with people and projects tailored to the residents\u2019 preferences, Willie reached out to initiatives he found interesting. This led him to participate in a range of events within The Hague and other cities, where he greatly enjoyed the intimate settings and interactions with the audience. The diverse events included several open mic evenings, performances at The Hague Creators open stage in April and at We the People Amsterdam in June, and a collaboration with Holland Park Media for a short documentary for the Just Peace Festival\u2019s Party4Peace in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sharing my own experiences and also growing. It\u2019s self-development away from imposter syndrome, away from the things that I have learned in the past, by just being here. And this is not an overstatement: I am learning to be more organized and plan. There are things that my body is now naturally getting into which will really impact my craft and the programme.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n