Wanjiku Mwawuganga: There is a huge scarcity mentality that still plagues film makers

Wanjiku is a Kenyan multidisciplinary artist, mostly known for her work as a theatre author-director. Her directorial debut, We Won't Forget, was staged across East Africa and was featured in the Jalada Literally Mobile Festival in 2017. Her other works include Sitawa Namwalie's Taking My Father Home in 2020.

She is an Alumni of the DAH Theatre International Summer School (class of 2019) and a scholarship holder of the Zürcher Theater Spektakel 2020 Watch and Talk. Her most recent work was Roots, a multidisciplinary one-woman show that opened in Nairobi and was also showed at the Spielart Festival Müchen in 2021, and the Zürcher Theater Spektakel in 2022. 
 

1.What project are you working on at the moment, and what is so exciting about it? 
I am finishing the East African tour of my solo performance, Roots, which is an autobiographical theatre performance about my struggle with postpartum depression, and now, motherhood. The show highlights the inheritance of distance between mother and daughter across five generations, from my great grandmother who experienced the hardships of raising children during the emergency, to my own relationship with my children. So, given that every day and every experience in life comes with the gift of personal change, the show is always growing and changing and forcing me to love harder and be braver. Other than that, I'm very excited to be staging it in Nairobi again.

2.What exactly is an author director and how does being both help you with your work?
Well, those are two very different roles, but I have combined them. It means I can write and direct. It also means that I prefer to direct my own written works, even though not exclusively. Because I do both, my skill as a writer spills into my arsenal as a director, and vice versa. As a director, I believe that the script is your compass. It guides the process. A weak script can very easily mean a weak show. So my skill in writing always means that I am the eye the writer needs to ensure their work meets its full potential. 

My deep understanding for the story also gives me an edge as a director, because it’s easy for me to get into the head of the writer to guide the performers and crew on how to explore the script. Also, I've found it is easier for some writers to let go of their script when they understand that my main intention is to tell the story in the best possible way.

3.What was it like, directing an all-woman cast and set like Too Early For Birds Brazen? And what made the idea of a one-woman show so attractive? 
Directing Brazen was a remarkable experience. Before jumping into the project, I got comments about how working with an all-woman cast and crew was going to be a disaster. This of course brought some pressure. I was also determined not to let the women fraternity down. Yet directing Brazen remains the easiest and most life changing project I've ever been part of. After directing the first four Too Early For Birds shows, I finally had the courage to own my voice and style. The LAM Sisterhood (who were the executive producers) also worked hard to intentionally foster a spirit of support and teamwork that was easy to pick up and translate to the creative team. As an empath, I thrive in such energy. The stories we told were also somehow a continuous séance of brazen feminine energy that just allowed all of us to thrive and be. To be honest, the cast and crew were amazingly brilliant and supportive.

I always wanted to do a one-woman show. Back in the day when Phoenix Theatre was still operational, performing a one-woman show was the epitome of mastery of craft as an actor. I still remember getting chills after watching the amazing June Gachui's performance of Shirley Valentine. I wanted to be her when I grew up. Fast forward to the end of 2020 when theatre maker and author Ogutu Muraya approached both me and theatre maker Esther Kamba to be part of the first ever Maabara Research and Development Programme. The programme is designed to allow artists to develop experimental theatre performances by supporting them with any other resources they need. Roots was initially a show with three female characters that I was supposed to create over five years. However, when I accepted to be part of the programme, through Ogutu's encouragement, I was able to see the project in a different way - and also finally go back to my roots as a performer, which I had wanted to do for so long. 

4. There's generally a lot of disparity in the theatre and film industry, especially where pay is concerned. What are some things you've gone through, that you wish you hadn't had to?
It is a tough and young industry. There is a huge scarcity mentality that still plagues us and it makes me so happy to see the younger generation of artists who are learning to overcome this and work together. I see a future where t-here are welfare unions and standardisation of pay. The dawn of professionalisation in the theatre and film industry is here because of the hard work and sacrifices the generations before us put in. But we're not really there yet. And so, with a family and responsibilities, as a freelancer, I'm sometimes forced to juggle more than five jobs at a time. And most of the time, the five or so jobs don't end up paying as much - especially in this economy! I like to fully immerse myself in a project, so juggling several projects at a go - out of necessity and not choice - always leaves me feeling like I could have given more. I do not like that feeling.

Do you think they taught you how to treat people differently once you were the one ‘in power?’

I have to admit that I have been very lucky. I know how women's work easily gets overlooked and written off, and I do put in a lot of work and care in everything that has gotten me this far. But I can't ignore that very early in my career, I found myself in spaces that valued the mental health of the people. This helped foster a deep respect for people, regardless of hierarchy. It also gave me space to allow people to demand their worth when it comes to negotiating for pay. So when I'm in a position of power, you can bet I'm carrying the same energy.

5. How did you get your training in theatre? And if you were not in theatre, what do you think you would have become?
I got my degree in theatre from Kenyatta University. I was fortunate enough to be trained in acting and the overall discipline needed in theatre by the great David Mulwa. I owe a lot of who I am and the values I have cultivated for the craft to him. I also was lucky enough to grow up in an age that Millicent Ogutu was in charge of The Phoenix Players. Apart from fostering a deep sense of professionalism and consistency in the space, she established an almost too fairly priced student night offer that allowed us to consume professional theatre. Also, the fact that she was a woman excelling in that space did not hurt.

I've also had multiple opportunities to travel to various theatre festivals across East Africa and Europe that have opened my eyes to different forms of theatre, and sparked my curiosity. In 2019 I went to Serbia for a short summer programme on movement and experimental theatre at the DAH International Theatre Summer School. In 2020 I was also invited to a Virtual Watch and Talk Programme by the Zurcher Theatre Spektakel.

If I wasn’t into theatre, I think I would be a farmer. I think plants and animals are much easier and fun to be around. But seriously, I probably would have been a psychiatrist. My gift as a writer, director and performer lies in psychoanalysing characters. I am also good at breaking down issues with friends.