FINDING MY IDENTITY

BY: MŪKONZI WĀ MŪSYOKI

Religion, specifically Christianity, was my introduction to theatre. ‘Skits’ during Christmas and other holidays first gave me the idea of how that medium can engage people in conversations and create space for those who are not originally in a story, to be part of the story. It presented a way to revise narratives and discover how stories can have different perspectives.

Ironically, my unlearning of Christianity while simultaneously embracing theatre and storytelling allowed me to truly find my identity. I started with my name - I had been baptized as John. For the longest time this was ok but the more I tried to understand what that meant for me, the more I started to think that my identity has to mean more and must connect me to something that centralizes my background. Christianity felt foreign and European. In storytelling I began extracting the colonial entanglements and reclaiming what was lost. Storytelling allows me to pose the questions, even if the answers are not evident; I’m able to almost craft a religion of my own, one that allows the freedom of perspective that is difficult to find within a Christian framework.

Developing my identity through my work has led me to explore the notions of rituals in storytelling – the idea of rhythms of life from my indigenous identity. It is a confluence of so many areas beyond writing. I am currently experimenting with multilingual storytelling to respect the authenticity of what I want to present. My Kenyan experience is a sophisticated experience that is intertwined with an ethnic language

Kikãmbã, and two national languages, Kiswahili and English. I place myself in the story and then I bring that story into a western context where I must push back on being discounted as singular or viewed as a monolith.

The works of Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Wole Soyinka continue to shape my approach to storytelling and my process of decolonization. How do I re-examine my position and the world I have inherited? How do I define cultural heritage and uncover my path forward in my own practices? How do I use the platform of storytelling to find the capacity to ground myself? Storytelling and theatre continue to unearth so much within me and continues to support the evolution of my identity as I journey on.

Adnerys Armstrong

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