Nairobi — Rising living costs, unemployment and public health challenges will feature in personal stories when The Moth stages its seventh Nairobi Mainstage event next month.
The storytelling organization will bring five storytellers from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Sierra Leone to the Catholic University of Eastern Africa on November 7 under the theme "Now or Never".
The event will feature stories touching on HIV, tuberculosis, crime, survival and family responsibility, with organizers linking the experiences to wider social and economic pressures facing young people across the region.
Recent Afrobarometer findings cited by The Moth show that health, the rising cost of living and unemployment remain among the leading concerns for Kenyan youth, with 43% of young Kenyans reported to be unemployed and seeking work.
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Anne Obure, a Kenyan hydrotherapist, swimming coach and business coach, will recount a scuba-certification retreat that became a survival experience, while Bernard Mbugua will share his experience of being diagnosed with tuberculosis as a teenager.
"Kenya is home to a vast community of storytellers and a storytelling tradition, and it has been a centre for Moth storytelling workshops for almost 15 years," said Sarah Austin Jenness, executive producer at The Moth.
"This year's Pan-African cast, with stories of maternal and child health, safety, family, and sheer physical grit, are proof that Kenyan audiences don't just watch daring; they live it," she said.
Ugandan HIV and sexual and reproductive health advocate Shakirah Namwanje will speak about receiving an HIV diagnosis, while Nigerian artist and researcher Odun Orimolade will recount an encounter with an armed robber.
Sierra Leonean social scientist Mahmood Bangura will tell the story of becoming his niece's guardian following a death in his family.
The event comes against a backdrop of persistent public health and economic challenges in the region. The Moth cites UNAIDS data showing that 26.3 million people were living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, while Kenya had an estimated 1.3 million people living with HIV.
Kenya has also recorded progress in tackling tuberculosis, with TB incidence falling by more than a fifth and deaths declining by 35% between 2020 and 2024, according to data cited from the World Health Organization.
The Nairobi event is expected to bring together audiences around lived experiences rather than conventional policy or economic presentations.
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The Moth has staged more than 70,000 personal stories globally since its establishment in 1997.
The Nairobi Mainstage will be hosted by media entrepreneur Adelle Onyango, with tickets available through The Moth and KenyaBuzz.
