Trace set for Zanzibar as KITFEST kicks off in Nairobi

Rema at Trace Awards. (Courtesy)

The two-week long Kenya International Theatre Festival kicked off this week at the Kenya National Theatre for its ninth edition.

Hosted every year by the KITFEST Trust and Kenya Cultural Centre, this year’s festival sees 45 theatre shows of music, dance, food, and workshops from more than 16 participating countries globally. The festival closes on November 17.

Dr Fred Mbogo, a facilitator of the Scripting for Theatre workshop, taught about how to create compelling dialogues, characters, and storylines for the stage. He asked the participants to introduce themselves using a writing prompt and to write two dialogues from a story he gave.

“The workshop gave me the tools I needed to work on a play from its onset. It was a reminder for me that requires practice and consistency. I figured out that I should start writing instead of planning when to and that dialogue writing was the most difficult for me. It was also interesting to me to see other people’s creations in such a short amount of time,” expresses Tian Lee, a participant from the United States.  

Dr Mbogo commended the festival for its inclusive and diverse nature by inviting the theatre communities from different parts of the world.

“KITFEST is a brilliant place to celebrate our artistic products. Art does not grow in a vacuum; we need to have conversations with other people. Since it is an international event, we get to compare ourselves with other international players,” he says.

He is presenting a play, ‘The Dying Need No Shoes’, at the auditorium on Saturday. The play revolves around a professor in the department of religion with a strong curiosity around death. He chooses to unravel whether death is a freeing agent. He experiments through his daughter, who tries to garner her own agency to free herself from her father.

Producer, actor, and writer Duncan Murunyu attended the festival to experience it as an audience.

“I came to appreciate the performances of different talents. I feel like collaborations with people from different parts of the world are important. We get to exchange ideas and skills,” he opines. 

Dickens Olwal, Program and Operations Director of KITFEST, was impressed with the opening ceremony on Tuesday night, as he says it built anticipation for the audience of what is yet to come in the next two weeks. During the opening ceremony, honourable Musalia Mudavadi, among other representatives from organizations, were in attendance. Honourable Mudavadi had praised the theatre community for its resilience and talents. 

Dickens attributed the festival’s longevity and consistency to collaborations with artists from other parts of the world. 

“Collaborating with artists from here and internationally keeps keeps the festival going. The spirit and culture of theatre exist. There is a need to constantly bring audiences and theatre practitioners together, and there is also huge support from the general theatre community. Having relations with festivals from other countries, such as Egypt and South Africa, also helps, as we learn a lot from each other,” he states.

At the same time, Afro-urban music and culture platform Trace will be hosting the second edition of the Trace Awards and Summit in Zanzibar next year, February.

Having held a successful inaugural edition in Rwanda this year, the event aims to celebrate Africa’s music celebrities while spotlighting the rich cultural narrative that shapes their artistry.

It will feature 28 categories of the most popular African music genres and artistes, with live broadcasts in over 200 countries in English, French, and Portuguese.

The Trace showcase will air across 25 Trace African and international channels, as well as more than 50 terrestrial, satellite, and streaming partners, reaching an estimated audience of at least 500 million fans. The list of nominees will be revealed on December 4, 2024 and the public vote for the winners will start on 18 December.

“We are excited to celebrate Africa’s creative heartbeat by spotlighting music legends and rising stars,” Trace co-founder and executive chairman Olivier Laouchez said.

“The awards and summit [seek] to empower artists with essential tools for success in today’s global landscape. The event will transform Zanzibar into a vibrant epicentre of music, culture, and innovation.”

The come-together will be a hub for creative discussions, empowerment, and networking, featuring panels, keynotes, and masterclasses on African creative industries, technology, branding, and more. The event will offer a unique platform for artists, managers, DJs, producers, promoters, investors, lawyers, governments, brands, and industry stakeholders from Africa and its diaspora to connect and exchange knowledge.

“Zanzibar is proud to host the prestigious Trace Awards and Summit, a celebration of Africa’s vibrant music and culture on the global stage,” said the Zanzibar’s Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Mudrik Ramadhan Soraga.

“This event strengthens our commitment to sustainable tourism and promotes Zanzibar as a premier MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination. It will showcase our island’s beauty and diversity, while highlighting our efforts to preserve its unique environment and culture. We invite the world to experience Zanzibar’s exceptional charm, where nature, culture, and innovation come together,” he said.