Theatre in the Mill has commissioned Kenyan artist John Namai as part of our Seed Commission Programme. He will be sending updates of the work he’s undertaken monthly. John also mentored Bradford-based artist Joachim Keke during Untitled 4: Speculative Care.
Rhythms of the Land – 4-Fold Series (1)
In the month of November, our primary focus was to showcase Rhythms of the Land – 4-Fold Series (1): The Valley of Maji Mazuri to diverse audiences across Nairobi. This included the very first performance with the team, marking a major milestone for the project.
Our intention was to observe how the story resonated with people from different nationalities, cultural backgrounds, and age groups. To do this, we invited young people who frequent the National Library and held the showcase at the National Library Services Hadithi Hall.
The performance provoked a wide range of emotional and intellectual responses. Conversations that emerged ranged from reflective and calm discussions to more heated debates around land, identity, settler ideology, and colonial legacies. One key point of discussion revolved around the use of a song within the performance, which sparked debate about interpretation, meaning, and artistic intention.
Despite differing viewpoints, the conversation reaffirmed that Rhythms of the Land is a powerful tool for opening dialogue on issues many have avoided for generations. The piece encourages questioning rather than animosity and creates an environment for shared reflection.
GOETHE-INSTITUT WORKSHOP
In mid-November, we held a workshop at the Goethe-Institut with teenagers and parents. The space was decorated with agricultural items representing the relationship between land and livelihood. Participants selected objects and shared personal stories, followed by guided questions about the importance of land and its role in survival, economy, and the environment.
Participants later worked in groups to explore themes from The Valley of Maji Mazuri and presented workshop performances to their parents. Their curiosity, insights, and enthusiasm reaffirmed the piece’s value as an educational and transformative tool.
ONGOING TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH
The technological theme of the project—how technology reshapes land use, ownership, and environmental degradation—remains an ongoing research area. November’s activities laid groundwork, and deeper integration of this theme will continue into the development of the remaining 3 pieces of the 4-fold series.
EXPANDED COLLABORATIONS AND ARCHIVAL RESEARCH
The seed funding from Theatre in the Mill has opened significant new pathways. Notably, it enabled my first-ever engagement with the Kenya National Archives, where I am now exploring archival materials that can be brought to life through performance. This access has deepened the project’s historical grounding and revealed powerful stories previously inaccessible to me.
It has also opened doors to new partnerships with:
• National Museums of Kenya (Nature Section)
• Environmental groups and conservation advocates
• Farmers and agricultural communities
• Climate and ecological researchers
These collaborations continue to enrich the project’s content and expand its social and ecological relevance.
EDUTAINMENT AND NEW TEACHING APPROACHES
The project has reshaped how I approach educational spaces. I am now able to package the work with more purpose—moving from entertainment to socially engaged edutainment rooted in research and historical inquiry. This has strengthened our engagements with schools and youth programs.
DECEMBER & NOVEMBER SCHOOL OUTREACH
Although November and December fall during school holiday periods, we were still able to conduct sample outreach to selected schools in Nairobi. These schools had students volunteering at the National Library and Goethe-Institut, allowing us to test the piece with younger audiences and receive valuable feedback.
NEXT STEPS: EMBARKING ON A TOUR
With the growth, insights, and momentum from this period, the next step is to embark on a tour to continue sharing Rhythms of the Land with schools, communities, institutions, and cultural spaces across Nairobi and beyond.
GRATITUDE AND REQUEST
I extend heartfelt gratitude to Bradford Theatre Mill for the seed commissioning support that made this research and development possible. I kindly request continued support to expand and develop the remaining three pieces of the 4-fold series, building on the progress, partnerships, and learning achieved so far.
There are so many stories gathered during the research phase that are yet to be fully unraveled or given the justice they deserve. This period of mentorship and the SEED commission offered me something invaluable: time and space to concentrate on the work, without the constant worry of where we would rehearse or how to support the creative team logistically. This support allowed me to recenter, slow down, and truly focus. It reminded me that the real magic happens in the rehearsal room — in the conversations, the experimentation, the intuitive moments, and the collective discovery.
Research takes time, and our task is always to translate that research into creativity and onto the stage. Drama in pre-colonial Kenya was never an isolated event; it was woven into the rhythms of daily and seasonal community life— a spirit deeply reflected in this piece. I am looking forward to further developing the piece in Kiswahili to enhance its accessibility, and we are excited about a potential county tour, especially now that we have received several invitations.
Thank you, Shabina, for checking in and for your constant support. My appreciation also goes to the entire Theatre Mill team, and to Claire for always being prompt, encouraging, and consistently following up on the progress of the work with the mentee as part of the SEED commissioning. This journey has made me relook, rethink, and rediscover our practice — the Sigana form of theatre — and realize how powerful an artform it truly is.
Sigana continues to evolve, and it cannot be static. With more commissioning opportunities and research-oriented engagements that interrogate the form and its influence on our epistemological directions, we will begin to uncover layers of Sigana that remain unexplored. Such support will deepen our understanding of its cultural and philosophical foundations and reveal the rich nuances embedded within the tradition.
Thank you also for giving me the platform to work with Jojo through this mentorship. There has been so much learning on both sides. I was reminded how powerful it is to mentor — as we were once handed the baton, it is now our responsibility to pass it on to budding creatives. Introducing him to this form of African performance and watching him embrace experimentation affirmed the true purpose of our art: to refine, to question, to experiment, and to continuously shape new possibilities.