If you were a history buff in high school, you might remember the two categories: collaboration and resistance. From an education system heavily reliant on the country that caused us misery, our heroes’ stories were shown in such a narrow and whitewashed way. Still, thanks to creators like those from Ndūnyū Njerū, their stories, such as that of Muthamaki Waiyaki Wa Hinga, will be depicted with honor, care, and respect.
From his father’s assimilation into the Agikuyu after being banished from the Maa to his reign and demise, Waiyaki wa Hinga, the play, exuded Kenyan pride.
The play dismantled the label collaborator and made one sit in the reality of the cards dealt to the man who saw a brighter future for his people and nothing else but advancement. The misinterpretation of his nobility is replaced with the reminder that the Nyakerū had no pure intentions and forces one to look at his decisions from his perspective.
Directed by Lawrence Murage, the piece isn’t as one might expect in terms of technicalities as the moving sets with the stage still lit made one feel as if they’re part of telling the story, and the narration from Thuita Mwangi and Charles Gachanja draws you in with their imagination influencing certain events.
The duo, in spite of connecting current events with the period drama often repeated most of what was already seen in an attempt to add more flair and humor to a play that started thirty minutes late let alone start with a podcast that wouldn’t have made much difference if absent.
Ken wa Kūraya‘s portrayal of Waiyaki exuded physical dominance but fell short on verbal dominance as it lacked a balance in his resolve and commanding demeanor.
Subtle humor induced several roars, my highlights being that of Nyce Wanjeri and Pablo Kimani, the former with reliance on physical comedy and the latter with a rib-cracking coastal accent and hilarious translation techniques thriving through his dialogues.
Something special is happening, with the stories of our heroes resonating more day by day, the initiative taken to stage their stories goes a long way in deconstructing Kenyans from settling in ‘HIStory‘ to embracing OUR STORY.
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