The Young Nation
March 25, 2001

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Utilising their talent despite their circumstances

By ANTHONY NJAGI

The whole of Kakuma Secondary School cast during the Rift Valley provincial drama festivals

The most remarkable entry in the Rift Valley Provincial Secondary Schools Drama Festivals held at Chebisaas High school, Eldoret last weekend was The door, a play presented by Students from Kakuma Secondary school, in Turkana. The school is based at Kakuma Refugee Camp which hosts about 75,000 refugees from eight different countries. The camp is situated 120 kilometres from Lodwar and has a youth and culture programme, which hosted the students who performed The door. The play on Aids awareness won the adjudicators award because of their team spirit.

The participants were from various nationalities but the play brought them together in an admirable spirit of togetherness. The play was produced by the combined efforts of George Chemkung and H. Myamori from Community Services Department, Ebitayi Wandati and Ancelim Gituma from Education department and Noriaki Takamura from Wakachiai project from Japan.

''I joined the drama group in order to associate with similar minded young people from other countries,'' says sixteen-year-old Zamzan Ahmed. Zamzan says that it is a glorious feeling to participate in the festival despite being a refugee.

A scene from the the play The door perfomed by Kakuma Secondary School during the Rift Valley provincial drama festivals

Ifrah Hassan Mohammed, a 16-year-old Ethiopian refugee who escaped war in his country was another participant. He is thankful to the government for enabling him to participate in drama, the ''love of his life''

Tabitha Nyanget, a Sudanese war survivor whose relatives were killed by soldiers told the Young Nation that participating in community projects such as drama reminds her that there is still hope for her. ''When I remember how far I travelled, fearing death and starving on the way, I feel happy to be an artist,'' says the girl who would like to become a lawyer.

Others in the play were Sudanese Anne Itho and Simon Jial, a 20-year-old Sudanese boy. ''By participating in drama, we make life more bearable and forget our troubles as refugees,'' says Justus Akum who despite being a refugee from Sudan, feels at home in Kakuma due to the cooperation he has received from others. They all wish to go home some day, but for now, they remain united in Kakuma by such activities as drama, sports and other cultural activities.