NGPU
April 11, 2024
Nakuru to leverage theatre group to sensitize residents on road accidents
Written by Jeremy Ogolla
The County Government of Nakuru plans to leverage the upcoming World Arts Day and Cultural Week to raise awareness of road safety and mental health issues.
This comes in the wake of rampant road accidents which in the last few months have increased along the Nakuru – Nairobi highway leaving scores injured.
“We are going to maximize on the Cultural Week and World Arts Day to help increase awareness of the consequences of road accidents and mental health issues,” said John Koech the Chief Officer for Tourism and Culture.
CO Koech said drama techniques can positively impact attitude change toward road safety among residents of Nakuru County.
“Rather than simply telling people what not to do, we feel the theatre plays will empower residents to make their own choices, which are very motivational,” stated Koech.
The CO also underscored that mental challenges are partly the cause of rampant road accidents being experienced on our roads, calling on those in the arts and culture industry to come up with programs and drama techniques to alleviate such challenges.
“Road anxiety and phobias can take a variety of forms, ranging from discomfort and nervousness about driving or being a passenger in a motor vehicle to being near the site where the accident took place,” said Koech.
He was speaking to officials of Nakuru Players Theatre during a meeting ahead of the World Arts Day and Cultural Week event.
Nakuru Players Theatre vice chair, Barbushe Maina said as artists they will come up with tailor-made activities during the two events to best address menaces such as mental health, gender-based violence and rampant vehicular accidents.
“The audience will be taken through on a complex journey and allowed to experience the story in a very realistic way,” said Barbushe.
To help augment the artists’ contribution to sensitization and education of the public on various societal norms, Ledicia Wanyonyi, a culture officer said the directorate is proposing an art fund that will enable artists to access funds enabling them to run educative programs.
Present were Erick Muriuki (Culture officer), Joseph Omar (Mr Tembo, Citizen TV Actor), Simon Muigai (Nakuru Players Theatre), Kimani Wa Kimani (Actor) and Peres Ndungu among others.
The World Arts Day and Cultural Week will be held next week on the 15th and 18th of April 2024
respectively.
Meanwhile, according to experts, physical injuries are not the only problems one can experience in the aftermath of an accident. In many instances, those accident-related injuries can leave one suffering from mental health problems as well.
