The lights slowly fade out. The stage grows to pitch dark as the young actors and actresses quietly but quickly retreat backstage. A few seconds later, lights strategically set on all the corners of the theatre faintly illuminate the stage.

The rustic stage design represents a traditional Giriama shrine - one of the Miji Kenda communities along Kenya’s coast that forms part of a rich repertoire of Africa’s cultural heritage, replete with gods and goddesses. A creepy white skull at the centre of the stage amplifies the dramatic effect of the backdrop.

Nikita Wakonyu, the main character, firmly grips a six-foot staff that glows in the dark. It is a Giriama symbol of power and bravery in a fierce battle about to be reenacted on stage.
Wakonyu’s attire - the metallic choker neckpiece, the beaded headband, and the traditional pleated cotton skirt, bring back the character of Mekatilili wa Menza, Kenya’s wonder woman who singlehandedly led the Giriama community to mount one of the earliest resistance against the British in Kenya’s, and indeed, Africa’s colonial history.

Behind her, a team of actors take their positions for the next scene. They all look up to Mekatilili’s staff. The story of Mekatilili wa Menza, the fearless female warrior, and how she inspired one of Africa’s epic resistance battles against the British in the early 19th Century is about to begin.

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Read Full article on The Standard Newspaper: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/national/article/2001458153/wonder-woman-the-making-of-fearless-mekatilili-wa-menza