Art lovers protest as curtains risk falling on Mombasa oldest theatre

The Little Theatre Club in Mombasa County on November 5, 2021. [File, Standard]

Little Theatre Club (LTC) officials have appealed to the government to intervene and help save it from being replaced with a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institution.

LTC chairman Fernando Anuanga said that members, including artists, cultural leaders, and heritage advocates, have launched an urgent public appeal to save the club from eviction.

‘’LTC has been in existence since 1948, founded by demobilised Second World War veterans seeking to establish a permanent home for theatre, musicals, and other performing arts.

“This initiative responded to a growing cultural need following numerous productions staged for thousands of soldiers based at the Royal Navy’s Mombasa base during the war,’’ he said.

He said that LTC, which is a gazetted national monument, faces an existential threat.

‘’The campaign, rallying under the banner #SaveLittleTheatreClubMombasa, is calling for immediate intervention to preserve this pillar of coastal and national heritage.

This is not merely about a building; it is about safeguarding the living heart of our creative community, a space born from post-war hope and built by community effort,” said Anuang’a.  

During the club’s heyday, the 250-capacity Little Theatre Club hosted international artists such as Louis Armstrong, the famous American jazz maestro, who visited the club in November 1960.

The Munich Chamber Orchestra performed concertos and symphonies by world-renowned composers at the club in 1961. The Golden Gate Quartet from the US also performed at the Little Theatre Club.

And in 1964, the Presentation of the Department of State of the US, which featured the Clermont Quartet with their violins and cellos, was played at the club.

This action was interspersed with a dose of regular iconic plays like The Night of Magic, Who Killed Santa Claus, Key for Two, and How the Other Half Lives, among others. These were presented by foreigners for foreigners who used to patronise the club in the sixties.

Artists and officials yesterday said that replacing a nationally gazetted monument, a beacon of arts and culture with a 77-year legacy, with an institutional facility is to erase a fundamental chapter of our history.

Anuanga maintained that development and heritage preservation must go hand in hand. He said that they are reaching out to the County Government of Mombasa, led by Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, to urgently mediate and halt the process.

He stated that they also want the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to enforce protection due to a gazetted monument and the Ministry of Creative Economy, Youth Affairs, and Sports to defend a core infrastructure of the creative sector.

‘’We urge the Kenya Railways to engage in constructive dialogue to find a solution that respects Kenya’s cultural patrimony and the Club’s historical tenure on the land,” he said.

Anuanga explained that LTC’s potential closure represents a devastating blow to the artistic ecosystem of the Coast and the country at large.

‘’The campaign emphasises the critical need for spaces dedicated to the arts, spaces that foster social cohesion, drive creative economies, and preserve
intangible cultural heritage.

“Artists, youth groups, cultural enthusiasts, and the general public are joining the growing movement, urging all relevant authorities to act swiftly to protect this national treasure for present and future generations,” he explained.