Take a minute to reflect on the power of collaboration. Where competition is dispelled and, instead, the spirit of Ubuntu is uplifted. Where women playwrights in Kenya gather in unison and speak with one voice, ‘I am because We are.’ 
This is what the Africa Women Playwright Network displayed as they launched the Kenyan Chapter (AWPN Kenya) at the Goethe Institut on Thursday.
The AWPN is an international network of African women creative practitioners (theatre makers, including directors, actors, dancers, visual artists, dramaturgs, and producers) from across the continent and in the global diaspora that works both as a virtual community and through live events to promote both professional, emergent and community-based playwriting and performance/ theatre-making by women on the continent and across the globe.
A night of many firsts, and in the words of performance scholar and the event’s moderator, Dr Mshai Mwangola, the launch was one that not even the incessant Nairobi rain could deter playwright enthusiasts from attending.
Where two or more playwrights are gathered, it is bound to be theatrical and musically charged, and the evening did not disappoint. Under the theme, ‘Gendering Taboos,’ a collection of 10 short plays by African women curated in collaboration with the hugely popular Playreading Kenya, it started off with renowned Interdisciplinary artist, Gisemba Ursula’s remarks and her first play, The Arrangement. 
Performed by some of Kenya’s theatre talents of note including actress and Drama teacher, Doanna Owano (as Bride), Mugambi Nthiga as Auctioneer Uncle, and multi-potentiality artist, Mugambi Ikiara doing the stage directions, it follows the moments of dowry negotiations are made akin to placing the best bid for the best terms. But terms and conditions must apply and with each failure to conceive, the bride faces penalties until the marital ‘arrangement’ is rendered non-existent.
As the evening progressed, the atmosphere became more pulsating with the soulful music of Zaituni Wambui, whose vocal prowess left many in awe. Performing in sync with Steve Anariko’s guitar, with whom she has been performing for the last 7 years, the audience was in for a treat of her music set, starting her magnum opus, Nipende, which later set the rhythmic tone for the launch.
Speaking at the launch, Gisemba Ursula, who together with Esther Kamba organized the launch, observed that while a good play can change the world for which it is intended, there needs to be a remarkable investment in quality writing that can open the doors for many others.
We write, we work together, we workshop, then what next? When you’re a writer, you dream, sit down, think, and through this, you create job opportunities for people. We need to tell our stories and bring our perspectives to light,” she said, adding that as a playwright she is always conscious of what voice is being represented whenever she writes.
This is my drive and we really need to meet the Kenyan playwrights and know who they are.”
The Africa Women’s Playwright Network (AWPN), which already has a presence in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, Egypt, and Uganda also aims to increase the visibility of female playwrights and their work. 
Through the network, we are able to identify which woman playwright is one call away from a funder, producer, director, or tour. The purpose of this network is to bring all these people together,”Gisemba told Sanaapost
To solidify the representation of this union and togetherness, four more plays that showcased the breadth of other African women playwrights across the continent were performed.
Oh! by Miliswa Mbandazayo from South Africa was performed by Mugambi Ikiara (as Sakhe) and interdisciplinary story maker, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo (Linda) with stage directions by Mugambi Nthiga. It follows Sakhe and Linda who are a happily married couple, with what they both know to be a steamy sex life. When Sakhe goes away, Linda learns the truth about herself and her relationship with Sakhe. Will Sakhe play too? Or is this the end for this loving couple?
In Her Silence by Faustina Brew from Ghana follows the story of John as he tries various means to get Ella (his wife), who has positioned herself outside the house, to come into the house because, as Ella reveals, his sexual desire is at its peak. She reminisces about her life with John and how he’s often used her as an object for satisfaction. Ella’s responses are projected in sync with her body language. Can a woman say ‘no’ to sexual manipulation perpetrated by her husband?
Gnash by Botswana’s Katlego Kalvin Kolanyane – Kesupile is set on the eve of the internationally sanctioned day of the purge, a zero-consequence day established to manage the world’s population when anyone can be prey or predator – in an unnamed part of the world. We meet two women each sent on an assassin’s mission by the other. Frustration and uncertainty are interlocked with their murderous intentions, yet their friendship and faith promise to carry them beyond the new dawn. This dark comedy explores the bounds of love, loyalty, and sociability.
Lastly, there was A Woman Has Two Mouths by Chioniso Tsikisayi from Zimbabwe, which happens during a woman’s prenatal visit with her doctor after she suffers a miscarriage. Reeling from the loss, she finds herself in confrontation with her uterus and falls into an intense, in-depth conversation about fertility, sex, cultural practices, and societal norms of the body, mind, and soul of what makes or determines a woman’s worth.
With a vision to be the apex body of African women theatre-makers in the world, AWPN envisions becoming a strong, agile, and sustainable organization, a home for African women playwrights – an axis of collaborations, opportunities, and exceptional work.
It is a vision that was carefully articulated by Esther Kamba of Playreading Kenya, as she alluded to what that means for the local playwright.
There is a huge margin of women being a minority in writing in this country. It’s not like there are no women writing plays in Kenya, but opportunities are not going to them,” she said, adding that they want to see their work reach the globe and even make it to Broadway while putting the voice of women at the forefront.
A future where all young women and girls have the confidence and a platform to express themselves creatively, taking their space in the creative realm is not far from possible.”she fiercely asserted
Weaving music, dialogue, and acting into a unique experience, the launch of AWPN Kenya was nothing short of magical, confidently establishing the beginning of a lifelong collaboration of shared values, with women playwrights at the center of their own stories and well-thought-curated experiences.
