Dickens Olwal plans to amplify the voices of actors so they are heard and taken seriously as he steps into the role of Executive Director at the Kenya Actors Guild (KAG).
Founded in 2008 by Lupita Nyong’o, Peter King and Elly Yang Omukubi, KAG was established to advocate for actors’ rights, welfare and professional standards.
Olwal’s commitment to advocating for actors is shaped by his own journey in the arts. He began as a stage actor in school drama festivals and later taught drama during his high school years under the mentorship of drama teacher Robert Ouko.
“During school holidays, he would take me along to train other schools. That’s how my journey as a performer and trainer started,” Olwal recalls.
In 2020, he founded Tellerscope Entertainment, a production company through which he wrote, staged and trained for theatre productions. His play The Audacity was staged at the Kenya International Theatre Festival (KITFEST) in 2021.
He has since performed in productions such as Dreams za Tomorrow, Jabali, Imani, the Hullabaloo Estate TV series, and the feature film Mono.
“The KITFEST team was trying to run workshops, and I tabled a proposal through my company to create a training department,” he says.
Drawing from his experience on stage and screen, as well as behind the scenes as a trainer, consultant, writer and reviewer, Olwal says these roles have shaped his understanding of the structural gaps actors face, including inconsistent pay and poor working conditions.
“I have seen the challenges first-hand, but I have also seen the opportunities if we professionalise and invest in our actors,” he says.
He envisions a guild that ensures actors are supported through welfare policies, fair contracts and dignified working conditions, as outlined in its 2016 policy document.
KAG is also partnering with the Kenya Film Commission, a government parastatal, to identify policy issues that require high-level government approval, while opening doors to private sector partnerships. These collaborations aim to create more funding opportunities and improve working conditions.
On the international front, the guild has begun strengthening ties with continental and global bodies.