On October 5, Chisaina Arts will stage The State on Our Throats at Ukumbi Mdogo, Kenya National Theatre.
The political drama, written by Oyamo Richard and directed by Victor Muyekwe, interrogates land disputes and power during a boda boda association’s struggle against political exploitation.
A piece of land is contested between a county governor and boda boda operators. The land was leased to Jamin, a boda boda rider, to be used for agribusiness by the boda boda association.
Without a clear lease agreement, Governor Madam Mapesa (played Naomi Wangui and Sharon Cherono in the two staging of the shows) grabs the opportunity to exploit the boda boda union and intimidates them through the police service.
This turns the play into a battlefield of politics, corruption, and public dissent with the land dispute sparking political unrest.
Oyamo, inspired by daily happenings, was moved to document last year’s Gen Z protests. He went ahead to write a chapbook titled The Kenyan Gen Z Protest Lexicon.
But he also wanted to work on something that wasn’t only about the protests but happens in our daily lives, a play which he first drafted in early 2024 and rewrote later that year.
In the play, the protest revolves around the boda boda association. This is a deliberate choice he wanted to portray, explaining that he wanted to use the common mwananchi since most people think that boda boda riders are uneducated, which isn’t true.
“Many people do it because of joblessness or circumstances. I wanted to challenge stereotypes and even introduce a lady rider into the story,” he says.
This centres the play in the everyday struggles of the citizens. What begins as a local grievance grows into a fully-fledged protest as ordinary citizens join forces with the boda boda riders.
One of the lead characters is Harun (played by Adriene Ogutu), a treasurer of the boda boda union, who is not only a boda boda rider but also an activist, representing the personal struggle and citizenry fight.
Civil protests
The State on Our Throats stages civil protests that show real-life anger against corruption and police brutality, with the governor and police enforcing power and silencing dissent. For Oyamo, theatre has a responsibility to be political in times of crisis.
“It needs to ignite conversations and point fingers at the government and also at us as citizens. I want us to look at our own role in voting in bad regimes and to question institutions,” he says.
Oyamo reveals that he has faced fear, not with this politically charged play but with his art in general.
His poetry album titled Kioo cha Jamii and his chapbook drew warnings from people saying that the government will come for him. He also co-penned Badassery, a play that spoke against extrajudicial killings, which was presented by Too Early for Birds in June.
“What keeps me going is knowing I’m speaking the truth of what’s happening. If I don’t, it would be an injustice to myself. Artists shouldn’t be afraid, and they should remember that art is supposed to disturb,” he says.
In staging the play, Oyamo continues the kind of theatre that refuses to remain silent in times of crisis.