Epic Musical to be Staged at the Storymoja Hay Festival
The Theatre Company presents Shungwaaya, an original Kenya Musical based on African Cultures, beliefs and taboos highlighting on the integrity of leadership, misuse of power and its influence on the unity of the society. It fuses modern performance techniques with traditional East African performance styles and the story is told through drama music and dance.
The event will take place at the Kenya National Museums amphitheatre on Sunday, 16th Sunday between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Shungwaaya is a mythical, musical theatre piece that tells the story of a community that faces the timeless challenges of individual greed, envy and lust as they struggle to form a society where people can live together harmoniously. The show is created through a mythical combination of the ancient cultures of East Africa, where a community is united, guided and tested by spiritual powers which are gifted to the people through chosen shamans or healers.
The play shows the initiation of a chosen one, Mwejuma, in the river, whom is handed the calabash which guards the ancestral spirits; a calabash which holds the powers of the spirits which protect and guide the community. During the performance, we experience wrestling contests to choose community leaders; rituals that cleanse families and households, and the downfall of greedy men which brings calamities to their families.
Young people fall in love and marry, betray and reconcile. The environment is an active character in the performance, being intricately connected with the community. The story is told through powerful songs, dances and dialogue in the languages of East Africa, and also uses the kanga which brings color and beauty into the piece.
Shungwaaya has been created collectively by the members of the Performance Training and Development Programme in 2012. Three groups created the short performances Leaving Shungwaaya, Kukicha and Mwiba, which have been combined through TTC’s unique style to form the piece you will see.
The current production features Liz Enane, Hilary Namanjia, Dembede Mido, Squich Musau, Sylvia Namusassi, Carolyn Mutua and John Wasonga with Izzo Anyanga on percussion. The choreography is done by Kitt Nyang’aya Kiarie and musical arrangments by Wafula Mukasa. The musical is directed by Keith Pearson.
