Anthony Njagi
12 April 2008
Nairobi — Where were the leaders when Njiri School was staging the play Messiah?
The intriguing production, written and directed by Joseph Murungu, was the toast of yesterday's performances at the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama Festival at Menengai High School in Nakuru.
This is a play that effectively uses the symbolism of Easter. It uses the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to portray our current political scenario.
The Messiah, in the long run, is a product of two rival communities, a symbol of power-sharing, peace and reconciliation.
This is a soul-searching production where leadership is put to a stern test.
The setting is on a ship that finds itself on Enemy Island.
Save him
Captain Zakayo, the leader, steals the people's birthright, "Maliyenu", and as punishment he is struck by blindness. Only his conscience can save him.
He awaits the return of a messiah to restore his sight, but fortunately for him his conscience returns to advise him that he can only bring change and restore peace to his land if he forgets his desire to regain his sight and looks into his soul from within.
This is a well directed play that has scene after scene unfolding in the most dramatic interplay of events.
The leaders' (politicians) tribulations are also a mirror of the pain the nation goes through.
Murungu makes a very strong case by bluntly saying the leadership must come clean, remove all their "clothes" and be "stark naked" because nothing about them is clean!
Cast aside
The future is with the young professionals, the youth that has been cast aside - they are the messiah!
Another performance that caused ripples at the festival was St Peters High School Musikoma of Bungoma's powerful and articulate rendition of their choral verse "Sindelisa" which symbolically captures the post-election violence in Kenya through a misunderstanding that arises following an adjudication report in a beauty contest.
In the verse "Sindelisa" two village beauties take their petty rivalry a notch higher by failing to respect the adjudicator's decision, thus creating unnecessary conflict.
The two later resolve to bury their differences by adopting the name Sindelisa - an acronym of Sinderela and Monalisa.
The poem was produced by the school principal, Mrs Peninah Obuya and scripted and directed by Toili "Mkia wa Kenge" Khisa.
The reciters included Norman Wekesa (who will also present a solo verse tomorrow), Susan Atemi, Esther Wanjala, Edith Wanjala, Josephine Wamalwa, Edith Wanjala and Josephine Wamalwa.
The reciters concluded their verse by chanting Musikoma ya Bungoma ni wanoma (Musikoma of Bungoma is tough), an assertion which the audience enthusiastically agreed with.
The festival ends on Tuesday with a gala concert.
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