Wingu la Fuskani Performance at Jukumu Letu Launch in Mombasa

Wingu la Fuskani Performance at Jukumu Letu Launch in Mombasa

Wingu la Fuskani means A cloud of Despair. This is a play that was presented by actors based at the Little Theater in Mombasa during the recently concluded Jukumu Letu launch. The play was highlighted various problems that Mombasa residents face in relation to governance and the people’s understanding of the Constitution.

To deliver the message, the performers decided to incorporate dance, theater and spoken word in a performance that highlighted;

a)Unemployment
b)Drug abuse
c)Poor education standards and Radicalization.

The animated crowd at the Jukumu Letu launch was captivated by the performance which was mostly in swahili. In the first part of the performance, The Spoken Dance sought to capture and express the emotions people living in Mombasa go through. Their performance was the first step in engaging the audience for the next part The Drama.

This performance had the audience in stitches at times and mouths agape in others. The performance on unemployment had a story of a woman, her eight children and the two men that fathered her children all who depend on her for their living. The dire employment situation was highlighted amid humor and satire.

The performers also highlighted drug abuse with a story about two drug addicts one of whom was raped and is now pregnant. Coincidentally, during the performance a young inebriated woman in the crowd was shouting herself hoarse, demanding the that the Dj’s play her music.

In the last bit, a frustrated teacher who has no classrooms or books to teach was imparting knowledge on her troublesome students. The poor standards impacting negatively on her motivation and that of the students. Without proper education, the students subsequently fall prey to radicalisation and lofty promises of six figure salaries if they join terrorist organisations.

The performances were the culmination of an intensive week of preparation where Dance into Space, one of the Jukumu Letu partners worked hand in hand with Mombasa based performers to ensure that the dance theatre captured the issues that the people face. Dance into space engages in  high quality performances, training of youths and collaborations at the grassroots levels to pass the Jukumu Letu message to audiences. They have been involved in previous launches in Nairobi, Makueni and Nakuru.

One of the performers,  Kulola Mlaghui was happy to have played her role in the highlighting the Jukumu Letu message through art.

“It was a new and a strange experience, I have never performed out of the stage before and on the grass. Nevertheless it was great, I learned perfection isn’t everything and sometimes you just have to let go and work with what you have. I loved it.”

At the end of the launch, one of the performers said

“It was done in a way that wasn’t preachy, it was entertaining and put questions in people’s minds. For example, why should we go through all these (troubles) when we have a constitutional avenue of having our issues addressed. By raising the questions, we will provoke people into asking themselves questions as well as give the leaders food for thought. For Mombasa people, “kuwajibika na kutimmiza jukumu Lao” (be a responsible citizen by fulfilling your constitutional duty).

See the play Wingu la Fuskani below

 

and part two