Abstract:
Focusing on documentaries that resurrect traumatic memories of
school tragedies in Kenya, this article demonstrates the centrality
of media witnessing in advocacy for human rights. It reads
representations of injustices committed by students and,
importantly, attributes causal and moral responsibility to them as
instigators of arson, gang rape, and murders in schools. The article
is anchored on the faith that the witnessing of atrocities drawn
from memory builds communal awareness and, thus, vigilance
against injustices. Moreover, it posits that knowledge of traumatic
encounters drawn from memory enhances the grieving for the
human wastage incurred through transgression of internationally
recognized right to life. The revival of the mourning process the
witnessing facilitates enables deep reflections on the possible
lessons drawn from the occurrences. The advocacy of this nature
purposes to procure a transformed society where the lives and
fundamental rights of individuals as well as communities are
respected and protected not only by institutions but also by every
member of society. Paramount in the media witnessing advocacy
for human rights is the foregrounding of human compassion and
empathy in relation to the suffering of the distant other as well as
the condemnation of political networks and perceptions bent on
defeating justice.
