Parable of the Mislaid: Play evokes ghosts of 2007 post election violence

For theatre lovers like me, this weekend feels like a feast.

Listen, we are eating from a big spoon, with a line-up of eight shows being showcased at the Old Town Hall.

As for me, I’ve already started diving into the performances.

I watched The Parable of the Mislaid by Nakuru-based Makini Arts Production. I arrived at Old Town Hall at 6:20 PM, a bit anxious the show might be late and I was right. It started fifteen minutes behind schedule.

As is tradition, we began with the National Anthem. Then, producer Vincent Maingi introduced the play, which opened with a scene of Frank played by Kevin Owino and Nai (Naipanoi) played by Mary Gitau calling each other at a train station. It seemed Nai was trying to escape something.

She boards the Kisumu-bound train and is later joined by Frank, which catches her by surprise she didn’t know he was also traveling.

Once the train departs, we’re taken back through an emotional love journey. Frank wants to marry Nai, but she turns down his proposal because they’re from different tribes.

She doesn’t want to betray the pain her family endured during the post-election violence.

Nai later tricks Frank into believing she terminated her pregnancy, which pushes him to the edge—he nearly jumps off the moving train.

But she stops him, revealing it was a lie. She couldn’t live with the trauma of letting him die.

This thirty-minute play powerfully portrayed the deep scars left by tribal violence and served as a reminder to never allow a repeat of the horrors of the 2007 post-election period.

Despite only having five days to rehearse, the cast delivered a compelling performance.

It started off slow but gained momentum, with a build-up that was both touching and sprinkled with subtle humour that the audience appreciated.

The play was directed by Winnie Shikoti and written by Eric Wanyama.