From performer to writer: How Grace Wangari discovered her talent
While Grace Wangari’s transition from a performing artiste to a writer was by chance, she all along had everything it took to be a writer. The only thing missing, she says, was the opportunity.
“I grew up as an introvert, surrounded by lots of storybooks my mother bought,” she says. “My mother was not educated but she believed in the power of reading. If you did something good, she would buy you a book as a reward. You did something wrong, she would still buy a book and tell you to go there and read.”
Wangari’sface lights up as she talks about her experiences reading books as a child. “As a shy child, stories helped me grow out of my cocoon. My favorite subjects were English and Kiswahili; I would write amazing compositions.”
Colleagues who knew her from her days as a shy schoolgirl were amazed at her transformation into a confident stage performer. It all started after she completed her secondary school studies. “I was introduced to someone who ran a theatre group and they asked if I would be interested in acting,” says Wangari.
This was a traveling theatre that specialized in set book productions. “I loved the idea of traveling around, doing shows in different schools. The money was not that good, but it didn’t matter; I was enjoying myself,” she adds.
She later did a bit of TV acting and was cast as Shiku, the teenage daughter of Mama Mboga in the Makutano Junction drama series.
Although she loved acting, her whole outlook changed when she was introduced to the art of storytelling. “I had never heard of a storyteller before this,” says the fast-talking Wangari. “A friend took me to a storytelling rehearsal and I loved it; this opened a completely different world for me.”
“For one, these actors were having so much fun doing their rehearsals,” she explains. “I was particularly impressed by how they would address many issues with stories.” It was here that she met seasoned performers like Alumbe Helen, Aghan Odero, Mueni Lundi, and Mshai Mwangola. The late Amadi Atsiaya took her under his wings and mentored her, leaving a lasting impression on her.
It has been 15 years and counting since Wangari started performing stories and things can only get better. After her performances, she likes engaging her audience in a discussion. “When I have a mixed show where there are children, parents, and grandparents, everyone will have a different take,” she says. “The audience is usually so perceptive that some of their takeaways are far from what I intended, yet they are all valid.”.
Storytelling has been good to Wangari and it has taken her to places far and wide. Apart from Kenya, she has performed in a host of other countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Iran, India, Uganda, and Tanzania.
When we sat down at the eKitabu offices, she had just returned from a performing trip to Germany and Austria. Titled, "Colonialism, an Oral Musical Performance", the show is sponsored by the International Co-Production Fund of the Goethe Institut and is a collaborative effort with Sven Kacirek, a German musician.
The show combines music and storytelling to address controversial issues surrounding the colonial adventure in Africa. “From Kenya, we chose to tell the story of Mukami Kimathi and Dedan Kimathi. We chose to look at the impact of children and the role of women,” she says, adding that this was a love story about how much Mukami sacrificed for the struggle to the extent of being imprisoned.
The woman’s point of view was also addressed in the South African story, which narrated singer Miriam Makeba’s struggles with the apartheid regime, how she was stripped of her citizenship and her songs banned in her home country.
From Tanzania, the two artists focused on the Maji Maji rebellion. When told from a Eurocentric point of view, the Maji Maji rebellion is depicted as a suicide mission; a colossal failure. “What is overlooked is the fact that different communities in Tanzania put aside their differences – a rarity in Africa – and came together to fight German oppression,” says Wangari.
The Congo story was more controversial. They tell the story of how Belgians have one of the widest varieties of chocolate in the world, despite not growing a single cocoa tree. Belgium also happens to have a popular brand of chocolate in the shape of a human hand, which is odd when one considers the fact that Belgians used to chop off the hands of Africans in the Congo.
“In Munich, a young man came forward and told us that he wished they taught history like we had performed in school,” she says.
The duo is working on a show touching on post-colonial structures, which is set to premiere at the Goethe Institut in July. “The subjects we are looking into include travel and mobility, where we tackle the troubling issue of passports and visas,” says Wangari. “Why is it easier for people from rich countries to travel across borders but more difficult for people from poor nations?”
In the show, they also look at how the media frames certain issues. “Why is it that workers from the West outside their home countries are called expatriates, while those from developing nations are called immigrants?” she asks rhetorically.
Wangari says that in 2012, she attended a meeting with an editor from Storymoja Publishers who, after learning that she was a storyteller, sought collaboration and to adapt some of their books for storytelling.
“For a year, we made performances in schools. There was a rise in the sales of the books I performed,” she says.
Much later, Muthoni Garland - the founder of Storymoja - challenged Wangari to venture into writing. That is how her first book, The Forever Tree, came to be. “I have performed the book in festivals around the world. Aghan, one of my mentors, challenged me to write other books or risk being a one-hit wonder.”
Wangari has also co-authored 14 books and written two of her own in a series called Zuri, Jasiri, and Toto published by Malezi Publishers. Additionally, she has written five books published by Storymoja, making a total of 21 children’s books.
About a year ago, Wangari teamed up with eKitabu, who has been distributing her books. “This is a mutually beneficial relationship whereby eKitabu uses their wide network in schools to distribute my books and I come and tell stories at their events.”
Wangari collaborated with eKitabu and We One Action Network to organise a successful book signing event for her books at the Alliance Française in April. She is eyeing bigger projects in future with her partners.
Born in Maili Kumi, Bahati, in 1985, Wangari went to local schools and her high school studies in Dandora. After stints in theatre and acting, she enrolled for a degree in development studies at Mt Kenya University, from where she graduated in 2018.
From performer to writer: How Grace Wangari discovered her talent
While Grace Wangari’s transition from a performing artiste to a writer was by chance, she all along had everything it took to be a writer. The only thing missing, she says, was the opportunity.
“I grew up as an introvert, surrounded by lots of storybooks my mother bought,” she says. “My mother was not educated but she believed in the power of reading. If you did something good, she would buy you a book as a reward. You did something wrong, she would still buy a book and tell you to go there and read.”
Wangari’sface lights up as she talks about her experiences reading books as a child. “As a shy child, stories helped me grow out of my cocoon. My favorite subjects were English and Kiswahili; I would write amazing compositions.”
Colleagues who knew her from her days as a shy schoolgirl were amazed at her transformation into a confident stage performer. It all started after she completed her secondary school studies. “I was introduced to someone who ran a theatre group and they asked if I would be interested in acting,” says Wangari.
This was a traveling theatre that specialized in set book productions. “I loved the idea of traveling around, doing shows in different schools. The money was not that good, but it didn’t matter; I was enjoying myself,” she adds.
She later did a bit of TV acting and was cast as Shiku, the teenage daughter of Mama Mboga in the Makutano Junction drama series.
Although she loved acting, her whole outlook changed when she was introduced to the art of storytelling. “I had never heard of a storyteller before this,” says the fast-talking Wangari. “A friend took me to a storytelling rehearsal and I loved it; this opened a completely different world for me.”
“For one, these actors were having so much fun doing their rehearsals,” she explains. “I was particularly impressed by how they would address many issues with stories.” It was here that she met seasoned performers like Alumbe Helen, Aghan Odero, Mueni Lundi, and Mshai Mwangola. The late Amadi Atsiaya took her under his wings and mentored her, leaving a lasting impression on her.
It has been 15 years and counting since Wangari started performing stories and things can only get better. After her performances, she likes engaging her audience in a discussion. “When I have a mixed show where there are children, parents, and grandparents, everyone will have a different take,” she says. “The audience is usually so perceptive that some of their takeaways are far from what I intended, yet they are all valid.”.
Storytelling has been good to Wangari and it has taken her to places far and wide. Apart from Kenya, she has performed in a host of other countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Iran, India, Uganda, and Tanzania.
When we sat down at the eKitabu offices, she had just returned from a performing trip to Germany and Austria. Titled, "Colonialism, an Oral Musical Performance", the show is sponsored by the International Co-Production Fund of the Goethe Institut and is a collaborative effort with Sven Kacirek, a German musician.
The show combines music and storytelling to address controversial issues surrounding the colonial adventure in Africa. “From Kenya, we chose to tell the story of Mukami Kimathi and Dedan Kimathi. We chose to look at the impact of children and the role of women,” she says, adding that this was a love story about how much Mukami sacrificed for the struggle to the extent of being imprisoned.
The woman’s point of view was also addressed in the South African story, which narrated singer Miriam Makeba’s struggles with the apartheid regime, how she was stripped of her citizenship and her songs banned in her home country.
From Tanzania, the two artists focused on the Maji Maji rebellion. When told from a Eurocentric point of view, the Maji Maji rebellion is depicted as a suicide mission; a colossal failure. “What is overlooked is the fact that different communities in Tanzania put aside their differences – a rarity in Africa – and came together to fight German oppression,” says Wangari.
The Congo story was more controversial. They tell the story of how Belgians have one of the widest varieties of chocolate in the world, despite not growing a single cocoa tree. Belgium also happens to have a popular brand of chocolate in the shape of a human hand, which is odd when one considers the fact that Belgians used to chop off the hands of Africans in the Congo.
“In Munich, a young man came forward and told us that he wished they taught history like we had performed in school,” she says.
The duo is working on a show touching on post-colonial structures, which is set to premiere at the Goethe Institut in July. “The subjects we are looking into include travel and mobility, where we tackle the troubling issue of passports and visas,” says Wangari. “Why is it easier for people from rich countries to travel across borders but more difficult for people from poor nations?”
In the show, they also look at how the media frames certain issues. “Why is it that workers from the West outside their home countries are called expatriates, while those from developing nations are called immigrants?” she asks rhetorically.
Wangari says that in 2012, she attended a meeting with an editor from Storymoja Publishers who, after learning that she was a storyteller, sought collaboration and to adapt some of their books for storytelling.
“For a year, we made performances in schools. There was a rise in the sales of the books I performed,” she says.
Much later, Muthoni Garland - the founder of Storymoja - challenged Wangari to venture into writing. That is how her first book, The Forever Tree, came to be. “I have performed the book in festivals around the world. Aghan, one of my mentors, challenged me to write other books or risk being a one-hit wonder.”
Wangari has also co-authored 14 books and written two of her own in a series called Zuri, Jasiri, and Toto published by Malezi Publishers. Additionally, she has written five books published by Storymoja, making a total of 21 children’s books.
About a year ago, Wangari teamed up with eKitabu, who has been distributing her books. “This is a mutually beneficial relationship whereby eKitabu uses their wide network in schools to distribute my books and I come and tell stories at their events.”
Wangari collaborated with eKitabu and We One Action Network to organise a successful book signing event for her books at the Alliance Française in April. She is eyeing bigger projects in future with her partners.
Born in Maili Kumi, Bahati, in 1985, Wangari went to local schools and her high school studies in Dandora. After stints in theatre and acting, she enrolled for a degree in development studies at Mt Kenya University, from where she graduated in 2018.
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