MoFaya The Musical

Described in many public commentry spaces (the press, blogs, websites etc) as "the runaway smash hit of the year 2009." Mo Faya was staged at the GoDown for six weeks, with six shows per week, making it one of the longest running shows in recent theatre history in this country. The show was exceedingly popular and in the final 3 weeks of its run, the cast performed to completely sold-out houses, with many patrons preferring to watch the 2-hour performance standing, rather than missing the show altogether.

Indeed, the organizers had the constant but pleasant bombardment with demands for an extended run. The BBC World Service (radio) reported the show as follows:

The stage musical Mofaya is drawing crowds and earning itself rave reviews at a theatre in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Written and composed by home-grown music star, Eric Wainaina, the play is set in a fictional slum in the capital Nairobi. The story covers many of the social issues that have gripped Kenyans and slum dwellers across the continent; corruption, leadership, land-grabbing and the challenges of poverty.

Directed by veteran thespian John Sibi-Okumu, the musical brought on stage some of Kenya's finest talents including Eric Wainaina, who played the role of DJ Lwanda, Mumbi Kaigwa, Dan "Chizi" Aceda, and Valerie Kimani, Atemi Oyungu. In many ways, the show was the most successful event the GoDown staged in the year. It tackled key relevant issues faced in Kenya today - corruption, governance, land-grabbing and poverty through the arts. The excellent execution and artistry pulled in large audiences - over seven thousand five hundred people in total. And as one of the over 2300 fans on Mo Faya facebook page Phillis Njoki, summarized the show: "the whole country is crying out for more!"

The musical has evolved from the original inspiration of Lwanda Man of Stone, a story drawn from Luo folklore that tells of selflessness, strength and resilience of a warrior who was always ready to defend his people. The message embodied in Mo Faya the Musical resonated with audience in Nairobi, by bringing out the spirit of triumph over these ills through collective and individual action, and the powerful hunger for change. The adapted folk story is a play about a popular local radio DJ, who led and inspired the Nairobi community of Kwa Maji slum. In the play, an avaricious real estate diva, Anna Mali craves the land beneath their slum. She seduces the fiery young DJ away with a job at a top nationwide station, and organizes a violent campaign to terrorize the people of Kwa Maji. The government and media turn a blind eye to the decapitated bodies in the streets and DJ Lwanda has to return home to expose the truth, and save his people.

Complementing the messages in Mo Faya was the Kenya Burning photo exhibition - a stark photo-documentation of the violent events of the post election period of 2007/2008 - it was carried at the same in the GoDown gallery. This visual photographic narrative provided by the Kenya Burning exhibition was an occasion for reflection and introspection for the audience, before and after the Mo Faya show.