Held at the Goethe-Institut Nairobi on Friday the 5th of May 2023 and curated by Esther Kamba the reading of the play RUINED written by Lynn Nottage was nothing short of astounding.
Set in the time of Democratic Republic of Congo’s Civil War, the piece brought to light the intensity and brutality of the war not only for the soldiers but also the locals especially women who in the piece suffer extreme violence and physical abuse.
‘Mama’, a character in the play read by Caroline Odongo recruites girls who have been abused and have nowhere to go to her club to work for her in return offering food and shelter but the work mentioned isn’t as moral. Mama expects the girls to ‘entertain’ men in the club, mostly soldiers, who often take advantage of them but Mama’s real concern is cash, claiming that the situation out there in the forest is much worse than in the club.
With a revered cast consisting of; Caroline Odongo, Nyokabi Macharia, Sanchez Marley, Mugambi Ikiara, Agnes Kola, Joe Kinyua, Arthur Sanya Muiruri, Thuita Mwangi, Ileene Anyona and Steve Nganga, characterization and role execution despite it being a reading was my biggest highlight.
After the read, audience members showed interest in there being a staged version of the play read, and many of whom were fellow artists, volunteered to offer services such as stage management so as to showcase the beautiful story in a theatre.
I for one cannot wait for the staged version of the play read and whatever Esther Kamba and her team have got prepared next.
For creative online masterclasses from the best in the industry visit https://academy.sanaapost.com/
