Whenever someone mentions Mau Mau Arts, what immediately comes to one’s mind are their annual monologue competitions, film productions, and informative messages on creative arts. Yet there is more to this outfit than meets the eye.
From graffiti installations in Korogocho and Jericho at its inception, Mau Mau Arts has grown to be one of the most educative platforms for creatives in the country.
In 2014, a group of creatives led by writer and director, Robert Mūnūku, banded together and conceptualised an independent creative arts organisation centred on education for young artistes.
The following year, Heart Shot, a short film starring Paul Ogola, written and produced by two of the organization’s founders, Alexander Ikawa and Wanjiru Njoroge, respectively, pioneered Mau Mau Arts’ film endeavour, paving the way for ‘Kaleidoscope’, another short starring Melissa Kiplagat and ‘Mūcīī (2021 Sondeka award-winning short film). Still in 2015, they produced the 2019 Sondeka Award-winning dance, Sanaa ya Paa, in partnership with Sarakasi dancers.
Through creative education endeavours, Mau Mau Arts interacts with several actors, hence its partnership with the talent agency, RafikiHub, founded by Kate Snow, who is committed to actors’ welfare and training.
Masterclasses, workshops, and annual monologue competitions quickly followed the inception, all in line and furthering the organisation’s vision of creative education. Outside the norm of usual contest, the monologue competitions grant opportunities to its winners to be part of Mau Mau Arts’ film projects and referrals to bigger projects, further expanding artistes’ portfolios.
Expert advice from the best in the industry is a crucial commodity to any artiste’s toolkit, that’s where Mau Mau Arts TV comes in. The segment features acclaimed creatives who are open to sharing their experiences and pointers towards the ever-changing industry.
My name is Samson Omondi, a performing artist based in Nairobi, Kenya. I first heard of Maumau arts from instagram in 2022 during their call for participants for the second edition of their annually held monologue competition. Participating in it and eventually winning, built my confidence to a great extent in my acting journey. I have also been able to work with the production as cast for their short film ‘Taifa Tukufu’. Maumau Arts pours itself much into nurturing and giving opportunities to young performers; through collaborations with other industry practitioners and capacity building through workshops and partnerships. The audition for the short film ‘Taifa Tukufu’- for example, was technically a masterclass, which was a great eye opener on the art of auditioning. The monologue competition itself, for me has been a great class on self taping and text analysis. Need I mention that taking part in the short film advertised me to one more employer; and I guess that’s every actor’s prayer.Samson Omondi, 2022 Mau Mau Arts monologue competition winner attests
For Mau Mau Arts, 2024 looks promising, with a stage play and even a film festival lined up, buckle up for the eyeful of delights they have in store.
For Masterclasses on Arts from the best in the creative industry visit https://academy.sanaapost.com/
