“During the lockdown all we had was each other”
A conversation fuelled by deep sense of reminisce all while bringing out the urgency of understanding emergency urbanism, was the conversation I had with Mercy Kiio. Having been affected first-hand during the Covid-19 pandemic and the June 25th 2024, political protests, Mercy had a lengthy story to tell.
When I began this project, all I had in mind about emergencies were those caused by floods, fires and other natural disasters. However, as I progressed with the research, I came to realize that disasters do not necessarily have to be natural. I understood that communities can experience disasters politically and emotionally and how they can respond through activism and art. Mercy assisted in realizing this.
She recalled the confusion during the Covid-19 pandemic and how people mercilessly died. She also looked back on the brutality displayed by the police during the June 2024 protests and the panic of running to go and assist others. Nevertheless, she remembered the solidarity displayed by doctors, lawyers in helping those injured and arrested, how Gen Z mobilized resources not only online but also in the streets.
Our interview was personal. She spoke about loss and fear, but also hope, specifically hope that was brought about by artistic expression. We discussed ‘Echos of War’, a play performed by Butere Girls that reflected on the injustices of the government of the day which eventually caused emergencies instead of solving them. For Mercy, art does not process trauma, it challenges power. It archives grief and brings communities together.
She emphasized that Nairobi not only lacks physical infrastructure but also emotional infrastructure. Emotional infrastructure in the sense of spaces for people to feel, remember and heal. Mercy’s story and voice is a reminder that resilience is political and that the fight for safer cities is not waged only on parliament halls and institutional offices, it is also waged on stages, murals and street corners.
