Caroline Ngorobi is a prominent voice in Mombasa’s theatre scene.
In February, she is staging 30th Feb: The Date That Never Happened, a comedy love story revolving around Valentine’s Day. The play stars John Mumba, Martina Ayoro, Mary Favour and Paita Bakari. Mumba’s character, Greg, is set up for a date but ends up being the only one preparing for it.
The play was first staged last year at the Alliance Française Mombasa and returns to the stage on February 13 at Nyali Cinemax. Produced and directed by Ngorobi, and assistant-directed by Paita Bakari, she believes that creative work does not die; she restages plays repeatedly until she feels they can rest.
“We take a lot of time to come up with a production; therefore, staging it once does not do it justice. We can restage plays much like rereading books. I call it staging them for longer, which also makes financial sense,” she says.
Ngorobi, who founded Jukwaa Arts Productions in 2015, is one of the people keeping the art scene vibrant. The sector currently faces a looming dispute with the Kenya Railways Corporation over plans to turn the Little Theatre Club (LTC) into an educational institution, which she believes needs to be preserved for artists.
She started off as an actor and has grown steadily within the arts space over the years. She first acted with Heartstrings in Nairobi in 2005 while studying communication. She then ventured into film and television before leaving both behind for the stage. In 2013, she moved to Mombasa and created a space to practise her art with Jukwaa Arts, which has also accommodated other artists.
The first play she ever produced in Mombasa was titled Salt in the Honey at the LTC. She has also staged plays at Fort Jesus, Alliance Française Mombasa, Nyali Cinemax and other venues. Some of her works include A Present Past, Don’t Kill Me When I’m Dead and How Much Is the Bride.
“I have a lot of interest in culture, so most of my work involves archiving traditional and modern cultures. I work with Mijikenda communities to archive their ceremonies through performance, staging these works for contemporary audiences to engage with and learn from,” she says.
Using art as a tool for change, her performances have also revolved around environmental conservation. She has produced Today Is Not Tomorrow, a story about mangroves, and plays about police brutality during Covid-19. “Most of the work that I produce is original. We have many untold stories,” she adds.
Early-career artists also have a soft spot in her heart. Since 2019, she has been hosting artists at the Jukwaa Arts physical space every Tuesday, where they stage dance, plays, exhibitions, films, poetry, music and other forms of expression in an open-mic platform, which has created a strong artistic community.
Ngorobi curated the inaugural Wimbi la Sanaa Festival, which took place last year from October 28 to November 1. More than 2,000 people attended various venues that featured art exhibitions, beach clean-ups, plays, music, dance and panel discussions. The annual festival is scheduled to take place from October 5 to 10 this year.
The journey to this festival began in 2021 with the Bahari Huru Festival, which brought artists together to create work advocating for safe marine environments. The festival, staged in Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale, ran for four years until 2025 and was later remodelled into the Wimbi la Sanaa Festival, a multidisciplinary arts festival.
Last year, 114 artists from across Kenya, as well as Uganda and Tanzania, presented their work. They also celebrated Jukwaa Arts’ tenth anniversary by staging 30th Feb: The Date That Never Happened, Dampened Spirits, New School Old Kids and Free Si Bure. In addition to hosting the Wimbi la Sanaa Festival, they toured Living Sounds, a cultural music production, to India.
Ngorobi’s practice spans acting, stage management, directing, producing and curating, with producing and curating being her strongest interests. She has participated in international fellowships, including ISPA and the Bakanal de Afrique Festival, which expanded her networks and learning.
“As a woman leader in the arts, the Wimbi la Sanaa Festival aims to create space for emerging artists and women in the arts through the Femme Fusion segment. One of the biggest challenges is securing a dedicated fund for the festival,” she says.