The 2003 arts calendar in Kenya could not have begun on a sounder footing the socio-economic anxieties following the peaceful political transition late last year notwithstanding. Nairobi residents are in for a serving of some of the best performances so early in the year. Comedy, romance, and moral thriller will usher in Prof Ngugi wa Thiongo's I will marry when I want during a national arts festival.

Kenya National Theatre

A national organisation bringing performing artists together--National Association of Performing Artists (NAPA)--has been launched and will be hosting an arts festival at the Kenya National Theatre March 12-16. Conrad Makeni, one of the leaders of NAPA says the body was formed last October to bridge the missing communication link between actors and the KNT management. One of the goals of NAPA, say thespian Paul Osul, is to champion the rights of performers. During the Arts Festival, Makeni will direct I will Marry when I want of Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Ngugi wa Mirii. "I will marry when I want relies on music, dance and drama. Hence my choice of it in order to bring together many forms of artistic expression," Makeni says of the 500-cast play that landed wa Thiong'o in trouble with authorities in the 1980s. Although he admits that this play will be an honour to Prof Ngugi who is scheduled to return home later this year, Makeni says: "We did not even know that Ngugi would be returning home when NAPA and I chose to stage this play.

Ngugi symbolises the cultural emancipation of Kenya." The interim officials of NAPA are Joel Otuko (chair), James Chanji vice-chair), Kariuki Thige (treasurer), and Bosire Maroro (secretary). Others are Ochieng Osano (publicity secretary), Emmanuel Mumelo (member) and Paul Osul. But, pray, where are the women in this lineup? We got no response to this query. Saying they stand for local production of scripts instead of adaptations of foreign ones, Osul and Makeni contend that the latter impedes the development of local theatre and should, therefore, be discouraged. "Kenya has thousands of scriptwriters as manifested at schools and colleges drama festivals. Why do we abandon them in preference for a rehashing of foreign writers?" Makeni wonders. Elections of the association will be held in July. NAPA is coming up with a website while the Kenya Cultural Centre, which runs KNT, is set to open a theatre academy in June. Wasambo Were, the governing council chairman, says the drama school will help to uplift the standards of performing arts besides nurturing budding talent.

Nairobi Theatre Academy, established and based at French Cultural Centre in the early 1990s, wound up rather unceremoniously before it had realised much. Osul, who holds a Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts, welcomes the idea of the theatre school saying it is only Kenya in East Africa which lacks a school for performing artists as Uganda has Makerere Universirty and Tanzania Bagamoyo Institute of the Arts.

Maison Francaise

Like last year when it was unrivalled in its diverse presentation of activities in all forms of artistic expression, Maison Françoise appears indefatigable in its effort of promoting visual and performing arts. Heartstrings Kenya, the kings of comedy, set the ball rolling with John Chapman's Brides of March (February1,2,8,9). The play, directed by Victor Ber, revolved around Tony, a retired serviceman who receives five of the many wives of a dead sultan as a gift for having saved the late sultan’s life during his military service in the sultanate. It is an offense punishable by death to decline a sultan's gift just as it is abominable for a married man to take other women. Next on stage will be Mbalamwezi Players with a special valentine show of Trevor Rhone's Two can Play (February 14-16). Produced by Moods Expression and directed by Peter Mudamba, this romance celebrates the gift of love through Gloria and Jim who learn to weather storms of uncertainty, quarrels and humiliation through looking to the future instead of delving in the past. In a fashion not unlike the annual Nairobi Theatre Extravaganza, The Theatre Company will come hot on the heels of Mbalamwezi with Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden (February 19-22). This play--which marries art and a quest for human rights--will push on stage one of Kenya's best thespians, Mumbi Kaigwa. Starring Kaigwa as Pauline Sala and Raymond Ofula as Robert Miranda, the play--which I may equate with Ibsen's Enemy of the People and the film Nowhere in Africa in handling serious social themes--poses mind-troubling questions: what happens when you come face to face with events of 15 years ago? What do you do when the man who was your torturer appears on your doorstep?

These are the kind of questions that bother Sala when she meets a doctor who tortured her 15 years earlier in detention. Spectators will be in a dilemma wondering what to do were they to be in Sala’s shoes: Would they exact revenge or forgiveness? And things are not made any better for them in that Sala's husband, Miranda, is a lawyer caught between his love for Sala and his desire for justice. This moral thriller, directed by Keith Pearson, will have succeeded if it leaves the audience questioning themselves on how to deal with their past. It could also serve as one of the best ways to deal with the political transition in Kenya after four decades of what many see as wasted years of Kanu excesses, torture and rape of the national resources.

Predictably, this play is aimed at bringing about reconciliation and healing in Kenya. It is sponsored by Transparency International Kenya, the anti-corruption watchdog. To break the monotony of plays, Maison Françoise will on March 12 host Percussion Discussion Africa, a fusion of traditional and contemporary Ugandan music group led by Nsenene Sewanyana who has for more than 20 years been recording with Afrigo Band. Sewanyana's first musical instruments were nankasa, mpuunyi, namunjoloba and engalabi (traditional drums). With Percussion Discussion Africa, Sewanyana is salvaging these drums, played by his people for centuries, from obscurity and pushing them onto the world stage and helping revolutionise African music through fusion.

Goethe-Institute

Theatre lovers in Nyeri and Nairobi were early this month (February 1-3) treated to almost magical tales of the past presented by puppeteers handling puppets of various facets never seen in Kenya before. The performances were held at Green Hills Hotels, in the Greek open-air style in Nyeri town and at the German Cultural Centre in Nairobi. This was a follow up to last year's International Puppetry Festival workshop and show in Nairobi. Organised by Community Health Awareness Puppeteers and Goethe-Institut, the workshop--conducted by Germans Doerte Kiehn and Gregor Schwank-- comprised scriptwriting and directing based on traditional folktales of Kenya. Sixteen puppeteers developed scripts, constructed puppets and directed their newly realised puppet plays on various social themes. The puppeteers were Sherrif Mang'uro, Moses Githinji, Mercy Keya, Paul Dache, David Samson Wangila and Kenneth Owiyo. Fidelis Kyalo, Chrispin Mwakideu, Rose Akoyo, Kamotho Karuru and Pius Nyongesa also participated. Others were Pauline Wangui, Fidelis Wanjiru, Dorine Remour and Frederick Odhiambo. Judging from the laughter and appreciation of the audience, the country needs to see more puppet theatre.

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