«Storytelling is the mother of theatre»
Interview with storyteller and performer Wangari Grace and musician and producer Sven Kacirek
In the book «How Europe Underdeveloped Africa» from 1972, the Guyanese historian Walter Rodney describes how African countries were intentionally exploited and underdeveloped by European colonial regimes. It describes the continuing impact of this period on the continent and helps to understand global inequality today. When the German musician and producer Sven Kacirek read it a few years ago, he thought it should be part of curriculums in schools in Europe, well knowing it will remain wishful thinking. Instead, in 2020, he began working with Nairobi-based storyteller Wangari Grace on the project «Colonialism – A Musical Oral History Performance», the idea for which is based on the content of Rodney's work but combines it with storytelling, the most popular performance technique on the African continent. Soon after their first meeting, the lockdown began, but the two artists started writing the various chapters, reading each other's drafts and commenting on them, thus developing the musical oral history together. On stage, Sven is responsible for the music and Wangari for the narration. After a tour of Germany in June, the two are bringing a slightly adapted version of the performance to the Theater Spektakel in Zurich. In conversation with the writer Ann Mbuti, Wangari and Sven talk about the difficult background of their play and the power of storytelling.
Ann Mbuti: Wangari, you are a storyteller from Kenya, a country where storytelling and the oral tradition are central to the country's understanding of its history and culture. How did you come to storytelling?
Wangari Grace: The tradition of storytelling is something that I grew up with. My mother was very fond of books with stories in them, and that was the way I connected with my mother tongue. I never set out to be a storyteller or an artist, but after graduating from high school, I was looking for something to do before going to college, and I heard about a traveling theatre. My background is in acting and one of my directors during that time was actually a storyteller and that’s what brought me to it.
What role does storytelling play in your practice?
WG: I love storytelling because it is the mother of theatre. Especially African storytelling, which is very interactive and very different from European storytelling. Some of my European friends say I don't do storytelling, I do story theatre, because my storytelling includes all the other aspects of theatre like acting or dialogue. It's flexible and works for younger children, teenagers, and families. It works with the energy of the audience – that's why I fell in love with it.
How do you use storytelling in the performance you show at the Theater Spektakel?
WG: For us here in Kenya, colonialism is a big part of the high school curriculum. But there's a difference between learning things to pass exams and relating them to your own life. When I started to travel around Europe, it became very clear that colonialism is still very much a part of my life. When the idea for the project came up, I thought it was very important to talk about this topic outside of the curriculum.
What will the audience encounter when they come to see the performance?
WG: We call it a «safari through the African continent between 1880 and 1990». We use music, a lot of questions and answers and props. For example, in the chapter about the Congo, there are chocolates in the shape of hands that we share with the audience to eat. The chapter starts very lightly, but then continues to talk about the history of the Belgian colony, which is marked by violence.
Sven Kacirek: Each chapter is themed differently. For example, the story about Kenya is a love story. In Namibia, we look at the Herero massacre, but we never mention the genocide. Instead we tell the story through the eyes of a child who talks about its life. After each show there is a discussion with the audience where they can share their opinions and views about the show and its content or ask questions.
How do the two elements, music and storytelling, interact during the performance?
SK: Storytelling comes first and the music follows Wangari is on stage. She tells the story a little differently each time, picking up the energy and atmosphere of the audience and changing the way she interacts and engages with them. I have a lot of cues and listen very carefully so I can structure the music according to how she tells the story. Between chapters, Wangari leaves the stage to change costumes and that's when there's just music. This is also a space for people to digest what they have just heard.
In that way, can storytelling help in the context of the complex topic of colonialism?
WG: Colonialism is a very heavy subject. So what was and is important is to break it down in a way that you don't have to be an academic or a student to be affected by it. The way colonialism is presented in academic circles is not in a way that the majority of people can really digest. A story should be told in such a simple way, so all the research that we did is also in the stories. Women's voices are often not heard in this context. In my projects, where I work a lot with traditional stories, I always try to find the stories about women in different societies. My work as a storyteller is to look at the facts, figures and statistics and tell the stories behind it all.
Why is it important for you to target kids and young adults?
WG: I'm convinced that every person, regardless of age, has their own perspective on many things. It's really hard to change perspectives, but if you change one child's mind by showing them a different world, you're not just changing that one child, you're changing a whole generation. Here in Kenya, colonialism is a subject that is taught in schools to young people. These young people will soon be voters. It's important for me to reach them with these issues so that they can make informed decisions away from what they've only learned in class.
Wangari Grace and Sven Kacirekt perform «Colonialism – A Musical Oral History Performance» from 29 to 31 August 2023 at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel. Further Information.