A new digital commission responding to the theme of Politics, Protest and Activism by Cynthia MaiWa Sitei.
When we were young, my brother and I witnessed mob justice at its worst. We had just finished school and were on our way home to finish the day. Home was only a walking distance from school, not too far but not too close either. What had happened was a mugging gone wrong. A man had tried to rob a woman off her purse, it was a busy open street where a lot was happening and it was bright as well, only 5pm in the afternoon. The woman screamed, “mwizi mwizi mwizi (thief thief thief), he’s just stolen my purse.” People started chasing the man which led to him being caught and beaten in front of everyone. It was not a sight for anyone, let alone children who were on their way home from school.
Mob justice is an act where members of the public take matters into their own hands to punish suspects. An act which is unacceptable, and which should never be.
It has led to brutal deaths where suspects have been killed for stealing food or something as meaningless as a handbag or a purse. No suspect should face punishment without due process and a fair trial. Mob justice highlights failure in policing as it shows that members of the public have no confidence in the police and prefer to take matters into their own hands.
What my brother and I witnessed should not have happened for children as young as us or any other child around at the time, we talked a lot about it while growing up to our friends and family and even by ourselves when we moved to the United Kingdom and wondered if that man was really guilty of stealing that purse of not. For all we know, he could’ve been an innocent passer-by mistakenly identified as a thief and what if he was the actual thief? Is this how grown-ups should deal with crime and criminals? What example were those adults who were beating that man showing us kids and their kids if they have any and were around the scene at the time?
And where were the police you ask? And did anyone try and call the police before they started pounding on that man? Before the man with the huge stone smashed his face in. And was that man who smashed the “thief’s” face in with a stone prosecuted? Was he imprisoned too? What about everyone else who participated in the brutal beating of that man? Were they caught by the police? Did the police even care to look for them? Or did they tell everyone, well done and thanks for your help.
This short film highlights the issues around mob justice and when people take the law into their own hands to punish a criminal, which continues to happen in different parts in Kenya and Africa up to today.
About Cynthia MaiWa Sitei
Originally from Kenya, stories played a big impact in MaiWa's upbringing; they were a form of entertainment during and after dinner and a reliable method of communication in bringing people together and creating spaces where everyone was equal regardless of their age, wealth and health. Her work integrates photography and text, and explores themes of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination.
MaiWa moved to Wales in 2017, where she pursued a Masters in Documentary Photography at the University of South Wales, graduating in 2019.
