Kenya: Kisumu creatives get new performance stage

A member venue of the Creative Arts Spaces in Kenya (CASiK), a project that was launched by the French embassy in Kenya in 2021, Dunga Hill Camp is designed for the development of the creative arts.

“The partnership and the inauguration will go a long way in developing local talent in and around Kisumu,” Dunga Hill Camp founder Jagpal Sandhu said. “Dunga Hill Camp is committed to providing this important platform to young artists to professionally nurture and showcase their artistic talent.”

Sandhu, who believes that artistic expression plays an important role in a healthy society, says this will help in the growth of dance and theatre in Kisumu and western Kenya in general.

Through the collaboration with CASiK, Dunga Hill has invested more than Ksh4m ($33 000) to build the state-of-the-art stage, which will now host various live performances. For its part, CASiK has donated equipment worth Ksh3.3m.

Starting 3 September, Dunga Hill will welcome a theatrical production from the Nakuru Players Society as part of the activities organised under the CASiK network. Loko, a nine-piece ensemble based in Dunga Hill, will also begin its maiden Kenyan tour there, and is set to perform at other CASiK venues. The national tours have received Ksh6.2m in CASiK funding.

“CASiK is continuously enhancing and diversifying opportunities for artists through professional training, equipping the spaces and allowing creatives from various regions to connect with others across Kenya through national tours,” CASiK project coordinator Beth Achitsa said.

Following the development, delighted Kisumu creatives have been discussing ways to build on such investments, with thespians, musicians, music producers, cultural heritage practitioners and educational experts, among others, highlighting issues that need to be addressed to fully develop the sector in the region.

“Education institutions need to have a hands-on approach where industry experts can already share information with students about the trends and the best practices for the industry,” Maseno University professor Rose Omolo-Ongati said. “This way, the students have the relevant knowledge and insights about what the real industry looks like.”

Actor and writer Oluoch Madiang also called for indigenous investments in the arts and urged everyone to contribute so that initiatives like CASiK could have a multiplier effect across the country.

CASiK’s other venues are Nakuru Players Society (Nakuru County), Sarakasi Trust (Nairobi County), Swahili Pot Hub Foundation (Mombasa County) and Lamu Youth Alliance (Lamu County).