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.
Scope of the month
The issues of land are still laying its shadow on people, land stories come from people, therefore let’s bring them to tell or express these ideas collectively.
Research activities
1. A physical workshop
We conducted a workshop with 18 to 35 year olds, coming from different walks of life on how they feel about the question of land. The purpose of the workshop is to hear from the youth, and to lay the groundwork on how the scripting will be carried out. We were able to gather insight on various unresolved and recurring land issues.
PROMPTS
These are the prompts that provoked interesting discussions, below each one some of the ideas brought up by the participants.
1. Should land be communal or individual?
Land means different thing to different people, to some its identity, to others it’s just a piece of land.
2. Climate Action: Should we prioritize people’s housing , health and job security
Some mentioned that it depends on who is asking the question, others said that people’s needs are more important.
3. Are youth voices heard when it comes to issues of land?
Majority laughed and said that youths are majorly neglected and not even seen nor recognized
We ended the workshop with a scene making activity. What was important was that participant creativity was shown and individual exploration to most land issues. Some of the participants can identify with issues concerning land injustices.
2- Field Research Activity
We attended the 5th Annual Tharaka Nithi Biocultural Festival and Kibuka appeasement ritual, which the climax was to applaud the ancestral efforts in the eventual termination of the proposed construction of the Kibuka Mega Dam. Apart from learning from the rich Ameru culture we came out with a deeper understanding of the importance of the Ancestral spirits and their role in the community.
3-Story Boarding and discussions on possible story line
We identified various stories from different geographical parts in the country. For instance a place that gets its name from an event that caused the migration of a community. Another is about how a priest managed to trick a farmer out of his land in a fertile area. Eventually the farmer and his family were relocated to a colonial camp in an arid area. Another area we explored is on how families behave when it comes to land and inheritance. Bitter Quarrels arise especially after the patriarch in the family passes away.
The discussion ended with everyone agreeing that if ever there is a reason for people to fight it is more often than not caused by natural resources and who has the right to have dominion over them.