Schools, colleges drama and film festival takes off on a high note

Nyali School performing their play, Tik Tak, during the Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama and Film Festival in Mombasa on April 21, 2023. [Kelvin Karani, Standard] There is hope for many children suffering from genetic diseases due to advancements in medicine and science. That was the message from a persuasive play by Shimo la Tewa High School, the hosts, when they presented the very first play, 'Scent of the crescent', during this year's edition of the Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama and Film Festival in Mombasa. The play, written and directed by Amakobe Kevin and Dahalan Maruzuku and produced by Mutiso Mbinda, depicts the life of Tunu (Sufyani Zakaria), a teenage girl who struggles with myths and misconceptions around sickle cell disease. Born with sickle cell disease, Tunu is determined to overcome the disease and accomplish her dream of becoming a painter. With the support of her mother, Shamira (Josphat Mwaringa), Tunu triumphs over the predicament of a domestic feud between her father Mr Kahindi (James Owiti), who firmly believes in traditional medicine, and her mother who carries hopes of finding a cure for her daughter in modern science. With the help of Dr Pendo (Sarai Makale), who doubles up as Tunu's personal doctor and a bosom friend of Tunu's mother, the family wins the battle against sickle cell disease after serious deliberations lead to performing of the first stem transplant in the country. It is after this landmark medical achievement that Kahindi, Tunu's father, discards the traditional misconceptions around sickle cell disease. A new lease of life is realised after Tunu wins a continental arts competition and is awarded a three-month scholarship at University of Stanford in Canada. The play left much hope and its emotive and amusing language made an otherwise sad story an enjoyable watch. Ng'iya Girls wowed with their creative Cultural Dance 'Verakodhee' choreographed by Elisha Otieno. The dance pits protagonists Atieno (Corine Atieno) against Verakodhee (Leah Apiyo) who. The dance starts with Atieno at home bored with her studies who opts to watch TV where she encounters her favourite role model Verakothe but when her father gets home from work she is punished for that. Atieno opts to run away from home to meet Verakothe. She finds her in a studio recording her hit song which prompts Atieno to request that they do a do a collabo, but Atieno refuses. Verakothee as her to make a powerful song. However in the process, Atieno learns that Verakothee is a drug addict. Mwalewa Girls Secondary School presented a creative cultural dance titled 'Qatar' that gives a ray of hope to the many Kenyans especially women from the Coast who take up menial jobs in the Middle East. In the dance, Mbodze, a bright girl from a very poor family sits her exams and passes with flying colours only for her dreams of becoming a pilot to be dashed due to lack of school fees. She gets into prostitution to eke out a living but this makes her mother to go to Qatar as a labourer. With her earnings, she sends back her daughter to high school. Later Mbodze goes to university and graduates with First Class honours in aeronautical Engineering. The dance movements are well paced with melodious songs led by Nadzua Chombo and Mwanamisi Abdallah as Mary Mupa provided the quintessential beats from the Mijikenda drums. "We are happy and proud to have been some of the first teams to perform and since we are the hosts, we have blessed the stage for the rest of Kenya," said Madam Subira the Drama Patron at the girls school. Eldoret School for the Hearing Impaired performed a dance called 'Toto' that moved the audience. Directed by Benjamin Kiptarus, Toto is a journey through the travails of a young girl with a hearing disability. With encouragement from parents and teachers, she learns house chores and also does well in School. On the other hand, Kisumu Day School presented 'Alama ya a tatanishi', a depiction of how at times success turns into a curse when the society begins having unwarranted and unrealistic expectations from the bearer of the success.

Schools, colleges drama and film festival takes off on a high note

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