Staging Ngugi’s play reminds us of values we desperately need
At the Kenya Cultural Centre, Nairobi on May 26, 2022, thespians act out a scene in a historic play, "Ngaahika Ndeenda" ("I Will Marry When I Want"), which was banned for years and its authors, including the celebrated literary Ngugi wa Thiong'o, imprisoned but after more than four decades, Kenya's most famous play is finally home. PHOTO | TONY KARUMBA | AFP
Two weekends ago I went to the Kenya National Theatre to watch Ngaahika Ndenda, a play co-authored by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa Mirii. The play tells the story of the conflict between an unholy alliance of the post-independence political class, the church establishment, and multinational corporations on the one hand and the poor on the other.
For a share of profits made by the international corporations, the political class and local capitalists sacrifice the nationalist aspirations of freedom and equity.
