Data protection is often discussed through policies, regulations and technical language. But what happens when these conversations move beyond conference rooms and into people’s everyday lives? At Maono Space, the answer lies in art, storytelling and community engagement.
Through the fourth phase of its Ficha Uchi campaign, Maono Space is using music, poetry, dance and drama to make conversations about personal data and privacy more accessible to communities along the coast. The approach builds on the organisation’s commitment to nurturing creatives and giving them opportunities to use their talents to address issues affecting society.
At the heart of this approach is the belief that art can do more than entertain. Music, poetry, dance and drama can communicate important messages, encourage reflection and give people the chance to share experiences and learn from one another.
From nurturing creatives to community engagement
For Maono Space, using art to raise community awareness begins with nurturing creative talent. One platform supporting this work is MnatoSato, a performing arts event held on the last Saturday of every month. It gives creatives an opportunity to showcase their talents, develop their performance skills, collaborate with others and connect with audiences.
Through MnatoSato, creatives have space to experiment with different forms of artistic expression while building their confidence and their ability to communicate ideas through performance. Beyond entertainment, the platform creates opportunities to explore how creativity can be used to address issues affecting communities.
This commitment to nurturing creatives has shaped the approach of the Ficha Uchi phase 4 offline campaign. By bringing together artists who use their talents to tell stories and communicate messages, Maono Space is taking creative expression beyond the performance stage and into community awareness activities.
Through Ficha Uchi, these creatives address personal data protection in ways that audiences can recognise and relate to. Instead of relying solely on technical explanations, the campaign uses familiar situations, storytelling and audience engagement to help people understand the risks of sharing personal information.
Using art to start conversations about data protection
During the fourth phase of Ficha Uchi, Maono Space creatives used music, drama, dance and poetry to open conversations about personal data protection and online safety in Kwale county and, in Mombasa county, at Likoni Technical and Vocational College and in Makumba, Kisauni.
One of the performances was the Ficha Uchi song, which highlighted how people can become vulnerable to manipulation when they share personal information without questioning or verifying requests. The performances also stressed the importance of safeguarding personal data and knowing where to report suspected misuse, including to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
Another key performance was Dharura (Emergency), a play that presented familiar situations in which people could be manipulated into sharing personal information or losing money.
In one scene, women in a chama (community savings group) shared members’ information with a stranger and were eventually manipulated into sending money to the wrong account. In another, an older man received a call from someone claiming that his granddaughter was ill and urgently needed money. Believing the story, he considered selling his land to raise it.
Through these performances, the creatives showed how fraudsters can exploit trust, fear, urgency and people’s willingness to help those they care about.
The performances also opened the door for community members to share their own experiences. Participants described receiving calls about friends who had supposedly been in accidents, messages asking for money for emergencies, and instructions to update SIM cards that ended in financial losses.
“Sometimes you come across job opportunities that ask you to pay a fee before you can get an interview. Some people promise to help you financially, but once you share your personal information, you end up losing money from your M-Pesa account,” said one young person in Kwale.
“We also receive links promising loans, betting opportunities or access to different online platforms, but we don’t always know how these people get our phone numbers. Some links look genuine, and you may only realise it’s a scam after you’ve already shared your information or lost money,” said another young person at Likoni.
Across these engagements, the experiences shared reflected a common concern: people can be manipulated when they do not have enough information to verify requests or understand how their personal data may be used. The discussions highlighted the importance of questioning unfamiliar requests, verifying links and callers, and being cautious before sharing personal information.
Making data protection a community conversation
The Ficha Uchi engagements showed the value of creating spaces where people can discuss data protection using language and examples that reflect their everyday lives.
Community discussions also raised concerns about older people and those with limited access to formal education, who may be more vulnerable if they are unaware of their data protection rights or do not know where to report misuse.
These conversations underlined the importance of making sure data protection awareness reaches people of all backgrounds and ages. Understanding personal data protection means knowing that individuals have rights over their personal information and can question how it is collected, used, stored and shared.
By combining artistic performance with open discussion, Maono Space is helping communities move beyond simply hearing about data protection to reflecting on how it applies to their own lives.
The creative approach also shows the link between nurturing artists and creating social impact. The skills developed and showcased on platforms such as MnatoSato can be used to communicate important messages, encourage critical thinking and support community engagement.
The conversation continues
The Ficha Uchi campaign will continue to reach communities along the coast, with engagements planned in Lamu, Tana River, Taita Taveta, Garissa and Kilifi counties. As the campaign progresses, Maono Space creatives will keep using art and storytelling to encourage people to think critically about their personal information and make informed decisions about their digital safety.
From the MnatoSato stage to community engagements under Ficha Uchi, Maono Space is showing how investing in creative talent can create opportunities to address issues that affect everyday life.
A song can make a message memorable, a play can help people recognise the warning signs of a scam, and a community discussion can encourage someone to rethink what they share online.
Through creativity, Maono Space is helping to turn data protection from a technical subject into a conversation that communities can understand, relate to and put into practice.
