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Celebrating young talents through Sports and Arts at Mathare Carnival
Three years since its last iteration, Mathare Carnival returned on the eve of International Youth Day 2023 to celebrate the energy and dynamism of Mathare鈥檚 youth community. The day鈥檚 events combined a football tournament with an arts exhibition and talent show display, allowing youth in Mathare to share their dreams, express their voices and display their abilities in an event that gathered more than 3,000 participants.
Home to approximately half a million residents, Mathare is the oldest and second largest urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Children and youth here grow up under challenging circumstances, but possess the talent and potential to become change-makers in their community when they are supported to realise their full potential. This reality underpins the ready support of UNESCO to DBSA in organising the Mathare Carnival, which embodies the spirit of 鈥榣eaving no one behind鈥. The event was also strongly resonant with the 2023 #YouthLead campaign that seeks to empower young people as agents of change for the global goals.
Boys and girls teams from local schools competed in a football tournament that brought athletes and spectators together in friendly rivalry and sportsmanship. Winners were awarded with footballs and a small token to support further sports training and development in their schools. This tournament was an opportunity to celebrate the values of sport: respect to fair play, team spirit and solidarity. Meanwhile, excellent athleticism exhibited by female teams demonstrated the power of sports to celebrate women鈥檚 strength and normalise gender equality. The segment echoed UNESCO's commitment to promote sports as a tool for development and positive social transformation, bringing youth and their communities together to achieve lasting peace.
Childrens鈥 artwork were also on display at the carnival art exhibition themed 鈥淐olours out of Me鈥. Featuring a cheerful spectrum of bright fluorescent colours, the artworks were created through a series of workshops conducted by DBSA volunteers, which aimed to develop creative and artistic skills among youth and promote hidden talents among the community. Students who had created tie-dye T-shirts also showcased their self-made garments in a fashion show. In all, more than 2000 students across 10 schools expressed their creativity through crayon-drawing lessons, multi-art sessions and graffiti workshops, which were conducted by DBSA volunteers and local artists over a two-month period.
The event concluded with a 鈥淭his is Me鈥 talent show, which provided youth with a platform to showcase their skills and passions, embrace their individuality and celebrate the community鈥檚 diversity. Audience members were entertained with a variety of performances including modern dance, singing and rap, fashion shows, poetry recitation, as well as traditional dances that celebrated local heritage. The event aligned with UNESCO鈥檚 call to Member States to invest in culture and arts education, recognising the importance of arts and culture education in fostering creativity, innovation, critical-thinking, resilience and empathy. These are skills and values that equip and prepare the youth of tomorrow to mitigate challenges today and in the future.
The Carnival had been a yearly affair for the Mathare community since 2016 until disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. DBSA reactivated its activities this year to further support the community鈥檚 post-pandemic recovery. Founded by Chinese college students in 2014, DBSA is a non-profit organisation dedicated to children and youth development through education, social research and social congregation. It has undertaken dozens of welfare projects in Africa and has since expanded to include board members, staff and young volunteers from around the world.
UNESCO will continue to strengthen its partnerships with and support for youth-led organisations like DBSA, to empower young people as agents of change in their national, regional and global communities. These efforts align with UNESCO鈥檚 commitments to leave no one behind in working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
On this International Youth Day, UNESCO calls on every society to stand up in support of young people and listen to what they have to say. It is by giving young people the resources to shape their dreams that we will create a better future for everyone.
