A two-hander drama titled Bleeding Stones explores men’s innermost struggles.
The play, by Chisaina Arts Production, hits the stage on April 19 at Nimpa Theatre in Nairobi.
It follows Elias (Dennis Njoroge) and his optimistic alter ego, Kivuli (Victor Muyekwe).
Set in a fictional post-election period of violence, Elias faces chaos and must protect his family. Scared, he questions his own masculinity. Kivuli appears to remind him of moments when he displayed strength.
The relationship between Elias and Kivuli is a dialogue between doubt and self-belief. Kivuli shows the version of Elias he hides from the world. While Elias battles uncertainty, Kivuli encourages him to trust himself.
The play, written by Victor Koech and directed by Grace Iguku, tackles masculinity and emancipation.
Koech says the idea came last year during a difficult time in his own life, when he realised he was not alone in his struggles.
“With Elias questioning his masculinity while protecting his family, I wanted to explore how society expects men to hide fear and vulnerability,” he says.
“The society expects men to suppress emotions from childhood. Many men are afraid but cannot show it because they’ll be deemed weak,” Koech adds.
The playwright wanted to highlight these inner struggles and show the humanity in men. He chose the post-election violence period of 2007 as a backdrop.
“At that time, men had to appear strong while fearing for their families. I wanted to show those hidden emotions, and that period was perfect,” he says.
Bleeding Stones presents strength as a human, admitting imperfections rather than masking them.
Dennis Njoroge says playing Elias made him realise that men often equate masculinity with hiding problems.
“We appear strong, but vulnerability is our biggest fear. Even during discussions with the cast, we could only talk about cultural norms, not personal experiences,” he says.
Victor Muyekwe, who plays Kivuli and founded Chisaina Arts, says the play shows that men also bleed internally.
“Society has normalised men being strong and fails to see their struggles. The play aims to enlighten, not judge, and to remind society that men are human too,” he says.