Martin Luther King

The Kenyan secondary school curriculum is standardized. The English book, for instance, goes so far as to dictate which lessons should be taught every week of the year. Any deviation from the prescribed national syllabus is strictly prohibited. But sometimes even within such a restricted educational regiment, kernels of creativity show up.

The Form 1 English book includes two lessons on Martin Luther King's most famous "I have a Dream" speech. There is an edited version of the text, a tedious fill in the blank exercise that requires little more than rewriting the text, and a discussion exercise to be done in groups of four. I could not stop myself from giving the students simple context for the Civil Rights era in America at the start of the first lesson. I drew a crude chalk map of the U.S. and pointed out where Georgia and Mississippi are, explained the term segregation and talked about its roots, and gave a brief history of slavery and the American Civil War. I read the speech to them, they read it to themselves, and I asked the classic questions, "Has Martin Luther King's dream been realized?" and "Is there equality between races now?" The responses were thoughtful and we had an engaging conversation before we forced our minds back into the cookie cutter curriculum. "Yes, there must be equality because you are here teaching Mr. James," one student sweetly said.

When the book exercise asked the class to discuss their own dreams for Kenya in groups, I had to go one step further and make them write their own speeches as well. And I will treasure the texts that came out of this deviant creative writing project and the video I took of some of the students delivering their orations. I even have hand written copies of twenty five speeches to bring home with me.

"I have a dream that one day girl's education would be looked at with great interest. Our young girls who are tomorrow's future are being married with older men. I do hope that some years to come this terrible ordeal will come to an end." - Rahab Wanjiru

"I have a dream that all Kenyans will live in harmony in houses such as bungalows, detached house and semi detached house. Its my dream that all the forty three tribes will come together and call each other brother and sisters and practice socialism as our neighbor Tanzanians do."- Josephat Kariuki

"I have a dream that some day coming Kenya's education will be free from secondary up to university. So people will be learned and some years coming all citizens will have knowledge and there will be no such things as female circumcision." - Lucy Gathere

"I have a dream that one day in our country Kenya corruption will come to an end and all people in high level will love people in low level and see them just like brothers and sisters and treat them fairly." -Miriam Ndinda