Colleges drama festival kicks off with pomp and colour

By Rawlings Otieno

Colleges taking part in the National Drama Festival started their presentations Friday as the primary schools competition ended at Lenana School after a week of spectacular performance.

Golden Elite Academy from Nyanza with their play Torn Portrait highlighted family disintegration arising from misunderstanding.

It portrayed how separation of a couple brings far-reaching effects in the life of a child who needs the love, care and support of both parents.

The play explored the ridicule the children go through at home and at school when their parents keep fighting in front of them.

Acted by Lauren Agola, 12, a Class Seven pupil, she laments about the pains she undergoes at the hands of her father, ‘Masumbuko’, a judge, who beats her mother in endless fights.

The play written and directed by Allan Ochieng’ depicted the young girl’s plight as she is ridiculed at school.

At the height of the fight, ‘Masumbuko’ divides the house, causing the children to hate each other.

Other themes included healthy living and environmental conservation. Lions Primary School from Nakuru, performed a dramatised choral verse, Makakasi Mkasi in which they highlighted the importance of eating traditional foods.

The Kiswahili choral verse explored eating habits — how the society has neglected healthy foods and instead embraced modern foods that cause lifestyle diseases.

Muranga TTC presented an oral narrative Liondo which highlights the evils of abuse of office.

‘Sakwa’ who is charged with protecting young girls is found guilty of rape and defilement.

Asumbi TTC presented a dramatised dance Anyuongi (Water Hyacinth) that has paralyed fishing in Lake Victoria.

The dance focused on environmental conservation.

Kenya Institute of Mass Communication presented a dance Naliaka depicting lifein prison.

Soloed by Jera Etalie and Irene Kerubo, the dance expressed the need for prison reforms.

The vigorous dance in Luhya set the audience ablaze

Clarification: In our paper on Thursday we referred to Blanche Waeni of Marist International University College as Jackline Njoroge of Multimedia University College.