Too Early For Birds

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Too Early for Birds (TEFB) is a series of Kenyan theatre shows that stages diverse stories from Kenyan history. Founded in early 2017 by Kenyan performers Abu Sense and Ngartia, the show and its title were inspired by the work of historian and blogger Owaahh. [1] [2] The production is experimental, mainly employing theatrical storytelling and borrowing from other elements like reenactments and music. It is directed by Wanjiku Mwawuganga and features a number of upcoming and established Kenyan actors in the cast. The series has received wide acclaim among critics and audiences. [3]

Kenya republic in East Africa

Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in Africa with 47 semiautonomous counties governed by elected governors. At 580,367 square kilometres (224,081 sq mi), Kenya is the world's 48th largest country by total area. With a population of more than 52.2 million people, Kenya is the 27th most populous country. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa. Kisumu City is the third largest city and a critical inland port at Lake Victoria. Other important urban centres include Nakuru and Eldoret.

A part of Eastern Africa, the territory of what is now Kenya has seen human habitation since the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic. The Bantu expansion from a West African centre of dispersal reached the area by the 1st millennium AD. With the borders of the modern state at the crossroads of the Bantu, Nilo-Saharan and Afro-Asiatic ethno-linguistic areas of Africa, Kenya is a truly multi-ethnic state.

Contents

Too Early for Birds cast take a selfie on the Kenya National Theatre stage Too Early for Birds cast.png
Too Early for Birds cast take a selfie on the Kenya National Theatre stage

Series and structure

Promotional poster for the premiere of Too Early for Birds Promotional Poster for the Too Early for Birds premiere.png
Promotional poster for the premiere of Too Early for Birds

A typical Too Early for Birds show includes an average of three to five main stories under a single theme. The ensemble involves one main story into which the others are weaved, providing a golden thread. Each story has one main narrator, with the rest of the cast fitting into different supporting roles. In the premiere show, the stories of were stitched together by a run through the tumultuous life of Paul Ngei. The premier show was staged on May 17, 2017, at the Kenya National Theatre. It featured stories of heroes and heroines from Kenyan history, such as Muthoni Nyanjiru and Otenyo Nyamaterere. [4] Mũthoni was a lady who led a crowd of thousands of Kenyans in an attempt to rescue a jailed leader, Harry Thuku, in 1922. Otenyo led a resistance movement in 1908 against unfair British punitive expeditions that included reckless killing and scorched earth policy. [5]

The Honourable Paul Joseph Ngei was a Kenyan politician who was imprisoned for his role in the anti-colonial movement, but who went on to hold several government ministerial positions after Kenya became independent.

Kenya National Theatre is part of the Kenya Cultural Centre, a Semi Autonomous Government Agency under the Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture in Kenya. It is mandated to offer space for the rehearsal and staging of productions to both local and international repertoire. It is based in Nairobi along Harry Thuku Road and borders the University of Nairobi (UON), The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and The Fairmont Norfolk Hotel.

Mary Muthoni Nyanjiru was born in Weithaga, Murang'a, although her date or year of birth are not recorded. By 1922, she lived in Nairobi with her stepdaughter, Elizabeth Waruiru. Mary was a Kikuyu woman and a Kenyan political activist remembered largely for her protest during the Harry Thuku Disturbances that resulted in her death.

In the next show, the stories of Wangari Maathai, Mohammed Hassan Timothy Njoya, Ewart Grogan and William Northrup McMillan were stitched together by the story of the Lumboka-Chetambe War. [6]

Wangari Maathai Kenyan environmental and political activist

Wangarĩ Muta Maathai was a Kenyan environmental political activist and Nobel laureate. She was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

Rev. Timothy Murere Njoya, is a Kenyan theologian, human rights activist and a retired Presbyterian Church of East Africa Minister. Njoya holds Master's and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees from Princeton University. He was ordained as a minister on 20 March 1967 and has served in different parishes including Chuka, Tumutumu, Mathari, St. Andrews, Dagoretti and Kinoo before his retirement in 2011.

Ewart Grogan British explorer and politician

Ewart Scott Grogan (1874–1967) was an English explorer, politician, and entrepreneur. He was the first person in recorded history to walk the length of Africa, following a path from Cape Town to Cairo.

Cast

Production

Too Early for Birds is primarily written and produced by Abu Sense and Ngartia. It is directed by Wanjiku Mwawuganga. The production team also includes Zosi Kadzitu, Miriam Kadzitu, Janet Haluwa, Helen Masido, Veon Ngugi, Gathoni Kimuyu, and Siteiya.

Apart from stage plays, the play also produces web content based on the theatre shows on its YouTube channel. [7]

Reception

Critical response

Too Early for Birds has received a largely positive response among audiences and critics. [8] One reviewer commented that the series is, "...forcing an empathy rarely extended to Kenyans past. They are asking us to see these people as just that people. With their struggles and their lives and their fears, it is almost as if they’re telling us that the greatest rebellion is to live. "

Another added "...The importance of knowing your own culture, and your own stories was brought to the fore with this amazing show – both funny and reflective, moving to the point of tears and in the next instance making you scream with laughter at the puns." [9]

Some of the shows received mixed reviews because of the choice of cast; "...I would have especially liked to hear Muthoni Nyanjiru’s story narrated by Laura. It would have been even more powerful in a woman’s voice." [10]

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References

  1. ↑ "BEHIND THE CURTAIN : Too Early For Birds". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  2. ↑ "#MoreThanABlog: Owaahh & Too Early For Birds (2/2) - Sooo Many Stories". Sooo Many Stories. 2017-11-03. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  3. ↑ "TEFB - Owaahh". Owaahh. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  4. ↑ "Reasons You Should Attend 'Too Early For Birds' - Potentash". Potentash. 2017-05-15. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  5. ↑ "Too Early for Birds; A performance Re-writing History Telling our Lost Stories - Kenyanpoet - A Kenyan Artistic Space". Kenyanpoet - A Kenyan Artistic Space. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  6. ↑ "Play Proves Kenyans Battled White Walkers Longer Before G.O.T - Capital Campus". Capital Campus. 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  7. ↑ "Too Early For Birds". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  8. ↑ "Review: Abu Sense stuns in "Too Early For Birds Badassery Edition" - Capital Campus". Capital Campus. 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  9. ↑ "THEATRE REVIEW: 'Too Early for Birds' captivates audience with". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  10. ↑ "Too Early for Birds Review: A Creative and Bold Take on Kenya's History - Mwende Ngao". Mwende Ngao. 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
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