In primary school and I think high school too, the entrée to stardom and veneration was joining the arts. Music, poetry, solo verses, choral verses and all that fiefdom. It was the textbook definition of arriving. It afforded you the great chance to go out of the school to meet represent your school and meet your crushes. Mostly to meet your crushes. Nobody had that great sense of school patriotism to as much as desire to wear their uniform with pride and represent it with a pinch of respect. It was always for other things that we joined drama clubs. The name encompassed all the things that happened during the music festivals. So, drama was a general term. But it was also an apt place holder because those festivals were nothing else apart from drama. From the way we introduced the pieces, “adjudicators, teachers and my fellow students, in front of you is…”
That we are here writing and recording podcasts means we didn’t go far with all that drama in school, if you look at drama as an enactment of real situations of life or as a chaotic way of living. We have not succeeded in either. So, we can only reminisce the times we had as we tried to create an alternative future source of income—I am thinking of Crazy Kennar.
Brian was once a poet. I know it doesn’t sound right to say that, but it was drama(festival). His poetry didn’t see anywhere past Kakamega town if you are coming from Cheptais. Not because of the lack of talent of the 40 young souls as their group was known, but because as he says, of impunity and corruption.
Ndugu brought the reputation on an entire primary school to shame with his love for TEA. When his nation, sorry, school called him to be a patriotic pupil, he chose the road less taken and earned himself an eternal ban. To never participate in music or its subsidiaries in the school again. The ban has not been lifted many years later. Even when everyone else says, “freedom is here.”
Eddy came late. Which is literal for you Ashiolites that may want to misinterpret for your own selfish reasons. He may or may not have told any drama festivals stories and that is because the reason he came late (again it is literal), is because on the morning of the recording, he was in a drama—the many Nairobi forces you into.
On this episode, we partnered with Sawa Bathing Soap from Pwani Life. They have this essay writing competition for grade 6 & 7 children. Theme: Roses are red, Violets are Blue, color your world to reflect you. Deadline for submitting entries is Tuesday November 22, 2022.
