Kifo Kisimani returns to stage in timeless Kiswahili drama

Kifo Kisimani, a play centering on themes of police brutality, corruption, and bad governance, was staged at the 800-seater Jain Bhavan auditorium in Loresho, Nairobi, after being highly anticipated for its bold depiction.

For older audiences, it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane, as this was high school educational literature between 2006 and 2012, going beyond the four-year limit.

For young audiences, this play carried some of their grievances addressed during the political protests since last year.

However, Professor Kithaka wa Mberia says the staging of his beloved piece as nothing unusual for him.

One of his 13 books, Maua Kwenye Jua la Asubuhi, has seen many revivals on stage, with a total of 116 shows across the country. Kifo Kisimani was written in the late 1980s and then first staged in 1989 by the University of Nairobi’s theatre group, Chama cha Kiswahili Cha Chuo Kikuu cha Nairobi, at the Coast Girls High School and the second staging at the Alliance Française Nairobi in 1991.

It went ahead to be published as a book in 2001 after he reworked it.

Professor Mberia, who attended rehearsals, says he is impressed by the play’s director, Martin Kigondu, and the cast led by Gadwill Odhiambo, Cosmas Kirui, and Ben Tekee. He takes pride in seeing his play resonating with the audience decades later.

Mberia has taught Kiswahili in the United States, Poland, and South Korea over the years.

As a linguist, his writing in Kiswahili is subconscious; he aims to export the language as a cohesion tool across countries and to show the growth of the language on a global scale.

“By writing in the language, I achieve my artistic dream of bringing more people in Africa together. People are now talking about the commodification of Kiswahili; it’s one of the best exports in Kenya,” he says.

The title of the play is ironic; water is central to life, yet it represents death in this piece. Mberia says he was struck with inspiration to pen the play without a political administration in mind, yet it resonates with the audience.

“Art influences and transforms people. A good work of art is one that transcends time, space, and location. You can read a book written 100 years ago, and you wouldn’t know that if you weren’t told,” he says.

As he champions the growth of Kiswahili, he says the creative control of the Kenyan school curriculum on authors.

He faults the system for suppressing creative freedom by providing limits to what they can write about for the books to be considered as a set book.

“It should get the books from the markets instead of telling people what to write, as that interferes with creativity. We should let the creative spirit flow freely rather than have writers conform to expectations,” he states.

He further critiques the government for intimidating artists who speak against the political events in the country. “It’s a total misplacement by the government to suppress creative expressions. Nevertheless, when they do, they make the art attract more attention.”

Prof Mberia urges artists to write from their heart, according to their true feelings and social issues.

He further discourages them from following trends but encouraged them to create what will stand the test of time.