Focus Wins Annual Theatre Competition 2007
The thought of FOCUS group bagging almost all of the coveted Kiambu district drama festival trophies might just have been the expected nightmare for some of the upcoming drama groups within and without the locality; and to many the hurting truth.

Once again, Kiambu district hosted the 2007 annual theatre competitions sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Social Works having paid homage to the same event twice in the recent past. The relatively large region in the small country Kenya witnessed another one of its sensational and exhilarating yet educative event of the year as both experienced and amateur drama team, drawn from all over the expanse, intensely battled it out just to prove who is who in the theatrical world of art.

In line with the general theme of the year, all the staged productions revolved around ‘positive change’ in the society of course with an overriding interest in reproductive health— particularly HIV/AIDS. Drained themes like drug abuse and social injustices like rape, however, did not escape the keen brains of the innovative scriptwriters and producers in the same event. ‘I will not perform’, a solo-verse produced by Hillary Mabubi and ironically performed by Nancy Juma, both of FOCUS, was one such production worth the mention. The recitation painstakingly sought to highlight the trials and tribulations of a young girl violently hurt and defiled by a ruthless monster with a lustful brain of an ape carefully concealed from scrutiny -in sheepskin- away from the unsuspecting society. One other creation that cautiously took an investigative journey through the thoughtless action more often than not done by men was ‘The Tour’ presented by Martin Muhinja.

The rest of the dramatizations, nevertheless, cautioned the youth as regards the dangers of engaging in early sex before marriage. This involved a side-splitting oral narration by a FOCUS comedy duo of Mike and George that captured an adolescent girl named ‘Atoti’ who had to literally break her knee before quitting the dangerous village-night dancing with virtually any body she came across. At last the showstopper of the entire event came, the award winning play written and acted by FOCUS group, ‘The Hurting Truth’. This play cleverly displayed an array of actions and reactions of billionaire and a father of one supposedly responsible for his mistress’s pregnancy. Not only was the audience plainly saddened but also rudely shocked as they were led to discover that the said billionaire was in reality impotent right from delivery! The play, among FOCUS other presentations, scooped top accolades; but the experienced drama team shows no sighs of being through yet. “Africa here we come,” I heard them say! Okoth Odera