[PHOTOS] Gachagua hosts content creators in Wamunyoro

Gachagua told his guests that he continues to subscribe to the belief that form carries greater weight than content

by JAMES GICHIGI

News06 September 2025 - 13:55

In Summary

In a message shared on his Facebook page on Saturday, Gachagua said the breakfast meeting with the creators rekindled a debate that dominated the University of Nairobi’s Literature Department in the 1980s.
He said at the time, one camp, led by Professor Chris Wanjala, insisted that the greatness of art lies in its content, what an artist says.

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Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua hosts content creators in Wamunyoro on September 6, 2025 [GACHAGUA/FB]

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has hosted a group of leading artists and digital content creators at his Wamunyoro residence, where they engaged in a lively discussion on the enduring question of what defines a great work of art.

In a message shared on his Facebook page on Saturday, Gachagua said the breakfast meeting with the creators rekindled a debate that dominated the University of Nairobi’s Literature Department in the 1980s.

He said at the time, one camp, led by Professor Chris Wanjala, insisted that the greatness of art lies in its content, what an artist says.

The opposing camp, under Professor Henry Indangasi, argued that it is form, how the message is packaged and delivered, that gives art its power.

Gachagua told his guests that he continues to subscribe to the belief that form carries greater weight than content.

"I was of the view that a great work of art is form, not content; How you say it is greater than what you say," he said, recalling his own position in the university debates.

The ex-DP revealed that he persuaded the visiting creatives to embrace the same perspective, encouraging them to focus on packaging and delivery in order to maximise the impact of their work.

"I have successfully persuaded John Waithaka Mwangi aka Waithaka wa Jane, Anthony Kamau aka Tonny Young, Dickson Degwa AKA DJ Dibul, Samuel Mbote Njogu, Felister Wanjiru Nyoike aka Wanjiru wa Waya, and Samuel Githaiga that how they package their works of art supercedes what they create," Gachagua wrote.