Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi presided over the official opening of the 9th Edition of the Kenya International Theatre Festival (KITFest2024) at the Kenya National Theatre on Tuesday, November 5TH, 2024.
The annual Festival has been organized by the Kenya International Theatre Festival Trust, in partnership with the Kenya Cultural Centre.
It will be running from 5th November 2024 to 17th November 2024, at the Kenya National Theatre as well as participating theatres all over Kenya.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mudavadi said that he is super proud of the strides being made in Theatre. He went on to acknowledge several individuals who have managed to keep Theatre alive over the years.
"Thank you to the organizers for bringing us here and Ummi, it is good that you persuaded me to come and be part of this and I wish you all success. Let’s make the best of Theatre as we work together and invest more in making sure that the talent that is in our young people can be released to the world.
“The 16 countries that are going to participate in KITFest, we salute you for being part of this, and we thank you because this is an area that speaks to what goes on in society, the reality, and what is going on in the country,” Musalia Mudavadi said in his opening remarks.
Mudavadi added: “Theatre helps you think, become better, and look at things from a different perspective, and I would like to encourage everyone that likes to make the best use of this and let’s embrace our culture, our diversity and make Kenya a country we can all be proud of. I formally declare the festival open but let the next two weeks be memorable for us and everyone who will come to see what is going on,”.
At the same time, Ummi Bashir, PS in the State Department for Culture, the Arts & Heritage who had accompanied CS Mudavadai said that KITFest 2024 will be hosting more than 16 nationalities during the next two weeks in Nairobi.
“This occasion is a celebration of the vibrant and diverse landscape of theatrical productions across the globe hosted by our country Kenya. KiTFest is not just a celebration of culture and creative expression but also a testament to the enduring spirit of creativity and innovation that defines our nation’s theatrical community.
These years KITFest will be hosting 16 nationalities during the next two weeks who will be joining our local artists in performing groundbreaking 46 shows within Nairobi.” PS Ummi Bashir said.
With more than 16 participating countries from all over the world, and 45 Theatre Shows this edition promises to continue celebrating theatrical performances from different parts of our country and from around the world, while creating a bigger platform for existing theatre productions and emerging ones.
What to Expect at the Festival
From a burst of stories through theatrical performances to music, dance, food and workshops, this year’s festival promises it all.
As they have done in the past 5 years through the Capacity building programs in counties outside Nairobi City, program such as County Theatre Fiesta, KITFT will continue to mentor more theatre companies and thespians from all over Kenya with programs such as Sauti za Boma and County Theatre Fiesta, with showcases and installations of the best theatre stories and pieces from the counties being featured at the Festival.
The face of the festival this year is John Sibi Okumu. Being one of the legendary thespians of the industry, it’s an honor to have him grace us. He is a true representation of the growth of Kenyan theatre.
The Ambassador of the festival this year is Martin Githinji aka Daddie Marto.
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