A scene in Walter Sitati’s play The Other Life. PHOTO | MARGARETTA WA GACHERU
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The play also alludes to a number of thorny issues associated with the Westgate tragedy, including the way the Kenya police were grossly mismanaged in the early moments of the attack, when they were given orders to “wait” until the special forces arrived.
The big drama at the Kenya National Theatre (KNT) this past week happened last Friday when an impromptu troupe of thespians visited Kenya Cultural Centre managing director Aghan Odero (who is de facto MD for the theatre as well) and demanded several changes be made in the newly renovated theatre’s practices.
Mr Odero had already addressed one of the demands; he got weekend parking fees at KNT reduced to the minimal charges that had existed previously.
But a number of the other issues were discussed, such as reduction of the Sh50,000 rate for rental of the stage and the 9pm curfew on performances.
The MD, however, explained that the theatre fees were fixed and if various freebies requested by the thespians were granted, KNT was likely to return to its former state of dilapidation.
He also explained that KNT didn’t have a “curfew”, but after 9pm he had to take care of the theatre’s technical crew. This meant that after 9pm every hour would cost the performing company Sh1,000 per technician.
Mr Odero also said there was no rule that theatre companies could stage only two shows a day. For instance, if a company staged shows at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm, that would allow sufficient time for troupes to put on three weekend performances.
I don’t know if the thespians went away satisfied with Mr Odero’s explanations, but until the Ministry of Culture comes up with funds to hire staff to assist in operating the theatre, we will have to take his word and trust he’s doing the best he can.
Meanwhile, Heart of Arts gave premiere performances of Walter Sitati’s latest script, The Other Life, last weekend at the Alliance Francaise. Sitati has yet to be fully recognised as one of Kenya’s best playwrights to emerge in recent times.
He has assembled an excellent cast of actors to play a serious drama that tackles such touchy issues as domestic terrorism and the psychological and social factors that contribute to the making of a terrorist.
The play also alludes to a number of thorny issues associated with the Westgate tragedy, including the way the Kenya police were grossly mismanaged in the early moments of the attack, when they were given orders to “wait” until the special forces arrived.
But Sitati, who also played Ivan, one of the leads in the play, never refers directly to Westgate, nor does he identify any nationality or religion associated with terrorists.
Nonetheless, he reveals what sort of personal factors and frustrations could feed terrorist inclinations.
I won’t reveal who ultimately turns out to be one of the suicidal hit men who is motivated not by politics or religious extremism, but rather by deep-seated personal grudges.
Blending past and present time frames through several flashbacks that may momentarily seem confusing, the story actually begins as a scene that transpired prior to the Westgate-like attack.
We find Elsa (Ellysey Okatch), a grieving mother whose child Tara died in the terrorist attack. But Elsa not only grieves; she’s also the angry accuser of her spouse Ivan (Sitati) who was one of the policemen who she feels should have saved her daughter.
The Other Life offers rich insights into the interior lives of the families who lost loved ones in terrorist attacks. The scenes needed to be a bit tighter at the beginning when the anger and resentment of both Jack and his step-mother Elsa are dominant emotions.
But Sitati’s character is most enigmatic and interesting. He initially looks like an alcoholic who Elsa cruelly disparages for being worse than useless. But gradually, the complexity of his situation, including his own grief over the loss of his first wife, comes to light.
Irrespective of the early slow-going of the show, The Other Life is a stunning portrait of not only the psychology of a domestic terrorist but also the grief endured by families who lose loved ones during such attacks.
It also makes not so subtle reference to the incompetence, corruption and mismanagement of Kenyan security forces, which for me, makes it an important production that I hope will be restaged sometime soon.
