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Mourning Raila in art, poem & music: How Kenya's collective grief was captured

From iconic artwork to songs capturing the depth of the loss while also celebrating the legacy of the enigma, Kenyans mourned Raila and immortalised the sad reality of his death in many ways.
File image of former Prime Minister, the late Raila Odinga
File image of former Prime Minister, the late Raila Odinga

The death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday threw the nation into mourning with Kenyans expressing their grief in different ways.

Just like he did in his lifetime, the veteran opposition leader continued to unite people in his death, with thousands joining him for part of his final journey on earth.

Kenyan creatives stepped in to express what tears, words and emotions failed to express as the nation grieved and came to terms with the passing on of an icon.

Mourning Raila in art, poem & music: How Kenya's collective grief was captured
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From iconic artwork to songs capturing the depth of the loss while also celebrating the legacy of the enigma, Kenyans mourned Raila and immortalised the sad reality of his death in many ways.

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Here are some creative works (in no particular order) released in the wake of Raila's death that captured the collective grief of the people of Kenya, the remarkable legacy of Raila Odinga and celebrated his contribution to the country's progress.

Bahati: Bye bye Baba

Bahati mourned Raila with a song which not only expressed the emptiness felt by many following Raila's demise, but also celebrated his endless love for Kenya and the hope he inspired across generations for several decades.

Unfinished business such as justice for those killed during Gen Z protests and the enjoyment of the fruits of some of the battles fought by the enigma featured in the song, along with political leadership across various levels.

Elisha Toto's tribute

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A master of story-telling, Elisha Toto unpacked the sombre mood that engulfed the country on Wednesday morning when news of Raila's death broke, including how people followed the developmenton radio, television and on social media.

Raila's global legacy and the collective pain of a continent folowing the death of a decorated statesman who he hailed as the father of devolution, democracy, national unity and economic stability.

King Kaka's masterpiece

Legendary musician King Kaka also paid his tribute in an artistic masterpiece in which he remembered the hope and courage that Raila inspired for years while defending Kenyans.

Expressing that a void has been left following his demise, King Kaka admitted that Raila's death had taken the last fight left in many.

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With you we knew hawangetuuliza kitu, hata hao wanajua ulituliza vitu. Wakileta noma nani atakuwa opposition?

The tribute features King Kaka's signature rhyme and rhyth, laced with flowing poetry and hard-hitting chorus that reflect the grief and the reality of the loss.

Viral Raila Odinga artwork

Collins Omondi Okello, popularly known as Jaduong Thinktank immortalised the death of Raila with an artwork that was a personal tribute to the ODM party leader,. with the piece going viral.

The art depicts Raila Odinga's face against an orange hue of a sunset with a smaller image of the former Prime Minister with his fist raised as was a common occurance at events in his lifetime.

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"My main aim of doing this work was as a personal tribute to a global icon who is larger than life, who most of us could not even fathom a day of his demise, who has shaped our political landscape and given us a soft landing in this democracy. This was not meant for commercial purposes, and even the few t-shirts I made were due to serious public demand on my social accounts,” he explained while lamenting the commercial use of his creation with rogue entities failing to credit him for his work and some removing his watermark.

Prince Indah mourns the death of an enigma

Prince Indah hit the studio on Wednesday for a masterpiece to immortalise the passing on of the legendary politician, noting that the song had to come out before dawn and before the body of Raila Odinga reached Kenya from India.

READ: Raila Odinga's Biography: Man who helped rule Kenya without being president

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The song captured Raila's contribution to devolution, democracy, pan africanism and national unity also as well as key lessons learnt from the remarkable life of Raila Odinga.

It also also reflected the grief of a nation struggling to come to terms with the sad news with a heavy heart.

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