Muthoni Drummer Queen’s Power is a feminist anthem

The song is an ode to the intellect, brilliance, courage, vision and selflessness of the many Kenyan women who resist oppression, break moulds and defy stereotypes.

Set in the McMillan Library, ‘Power’ recreates scenes from the clash between the state, represented by the police, and the mothers of political prisoners who were held in torture chambers in the immigration office's basement in Nairobi in February 1992.

This clash resulted in mothers baring their naked bodies as an act of defiance. This caused widespread mass public action that led to the release of the political prisoners.

This act of courage continues to be a thread in the experience of Kenyan women, symbolised in the video by a group of women who own and run a fleet of matatus – decorated minibuses with powerful sound systems that constitute the bulk of Kenya’s public transport system.

Like almost all women in Kenya, they pull their resources together in an organic micro-financing system that allows them to access capital and build communal wealth.

'Power' also pays homage to Kenyan barrier-breaking female athletes who achieve world fame without government funding and despite society’s expectations around 'feminine sports'.

The video also plays on the existential Judeo-Christian narrative of Eve as the original sinner, and instead shows thriving, connected and joyful women pouring libations in memory of their female ancestors whose contribution is often untold and often erased from public discourse.

Artist: Muthoni Drummer Queen
Song: ‘Power’
Year: 2019
Label: Yotanka