LAKE REGION
Well for one reason or the other, this Region will always have controversy before and after our festivals. And amidst the noise, there are those that stand tall and still manage to take to the stage and perform! I may not know many but the few i am aware of shall be mentioned:
I can not mention other individuals without mentioning the likes of Bwire T.O and Dr. O.J. Odhiambo. These two guys revolutionized the Cultural Creative Dance in the then Nyanza Province with Sawagongo, Lwak Girls and Ng'iya Girls. Bwire is currently the Head of Performing Arts at the Bomas of Kenya while Dr. Oj is a senior lecturer at Maseno University. These two guys are amazing critiques and you might have noticed they rarely lack in the regional bench or national! Kudos guys and thanks for shaping dance in this great festival!
Sam Opondo
Currently the Siaya County KUPPET Secretary General, this is the long serving Organizing Secretary of the Lake Region Secondary Schools Drama Committee. A teacher and avid critique who has served in this festival for quite some time. No nonsense on the bench and yet quite jovial and social outside the confines of the festival....he enjoys a nice glass of guin.....i shall stop there!!! This guy can mobilize people to do just about anything. Brilliant organizational skills and quite an amazing man!
Simon Okola
Very jovial and down to earth. or a Luo this is a rare quality. The guy literally listens to everyone who offers advice or counsel. An amazing soul and quite a good playwright in his own right! This guy has been in the Lake Region with over 10years of accolades. Was previously a teacher at Karabok Secondary School where he scripted and directed plays more recently their Kiswahili play in 2015 which was at the Nationals in Nakuru and now a Deputy Principal at Nyakwadha Secondary School.
Penina Oketch Omollo
The iron lady of Lake Region. She is the current chair of the Lake Region and also the National Vice Chair of the Kenya National Drama Festivals. An avid dancer and also choreographer for those who didn't know. Very good at her work and quite meticulous in all her endeavors. The mother of the "Modern Dance" in our festival. She is the true definition of iron lady having been in the drama circles for quite some time especially when the officials were mostly male and she still survived in the male dominated festival! Principal at Lions High School Kisumu and under her watch even the academic performance of the school has improved each year! Kudos and we await your dance at the Nationals this year Mwalimu.
Fredrick Shitubi
This is one of the few humble accomplished directors i've had the pleasure of interacting with. Before his arrival in the Lake Region, Shitubi or "pariti pariti" was a teacher at Chesamis High School in Nzoia Region. An accomplished script writer and director especially in Narratives where he has mentored the likes of Job Masika (Best Narrator 2002), Jefferson Were (Currently has almost five narratives in the nationals this year), Derrick Waswa (Director Kenyatta University) and many others who wouldn't fit in this column. From what i gather, this guy doesn't look for a job, the Principals look for him and would go to any lengths to have him in their institutions. He is currently a teacher and the drama patron of St. Mary's and in the few years he's been there the school has managed to win at the nationals 2015 (Winning Comedy) and this year they've managed to scoop position one and three in the Play genre at the regional festivals. Your humility is something i admire most sir.
George Chunga Otiende
Popularly known as "Pungulu pangala" in the drama circles this is a man who has made a name for himself not just locally but internationally. Having started 'Story Makers Society" which has now become internationally acclaimed even drawing the attention and support of international partners, Chunga is a man after the growth and development of the arts industry and in particular the NARRATIVE and story telling in general. He has earned his place in the Narrative hall of fame in our festival with the likes of "Mlima wa Mawe" amongst other notable presentations in our National Festival with both high schools and even colleges like Nyandiwa TTC, Kisumu Polytechnic and others. The guy compares the process of Narrative Scripting and directing to a Pot and the preparation of food till it's properly cooked. An approach that i found quite interesting when i sat in one of his facilitation sessions. Pungulu Pangala also enjoys a nice glass of "dawa ya minyoo" as he calls it. See you in Meru Pungulu.
Nick Ambale
An interesting guy to sit with and quite easy with everyone who strikes up a conversation with him. The most interesting thing is that, you will sit and laugh with this guy (he should do stand up comedy by the way) only to realize later that you were joking with a whole Principal of an Institution. Apart from his official duties, this guy is a brilliant poet and not only in English or Swahili but even in his mother tongue "dholuo". He likes to remain anonymous even after winning though we know he has been behind many brilliant performances such as "Nying' Nyong' - 2008" and the 2nd Runners-up Winning Choral by Sironga Girls - 2015. A good critique who will point out his reservations on any item he has seen and will also be quick to listen to any critique on his item.
Jefferson Were
This young guy is quiet at times but can be very lethal. Hehehehehehe. If you ask me about the silence, i can only say "Still waters run deep". A good story teller who has won in the narrative category as a participant in High school and Masinde Muliro University but also as a director. I hear the guy has 5 institutions at the nationals this year presenting his narratives having won in their respective regions (these are rumours though). I know for a fact that before this guy went to Sironga Girls, not many of us knew that there was even a school by that name in the country let alone a National School. His not so conventional means of scripting and directing are probably what makes him perform well. Kudos Jeff!
Chrisantus Wangalwa
The guy doesn't like the name Chrisantus which is why i'm using it. Hehehehehehehe. Chris says you might confuse him for a high school kid when you meet him for the first time. My thoughts on that differ but to each his own. A product of Bungoma High School, he has been consulting for St. Teresa's Girls Kisumu for the last two years. When he begun training in the school, he had no idea what he had started would end up being the best thing that happened to the institution in the history of arts and co-curriculum activities in the school. He is humble enough to admit that in his absence, he has left a strong cast that would make any teacher and trainer proud. You shall go far Chris and your name shall be echoed by others soon enough.
Archie Nyar Mwango
A teacher, friend, drama patron and brilliant dancer. You may not know her much but she is one of the many budding choreographers that will change this festival and also bring back the glory of dance to the Lake region. Quick to listen and also quick to learn. Nyar Mwango you shall take this region far in the cultural creative dance genre sooner than you think. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that their family loves drama with her younger sister (Winnie Omollo - instrumentalist for the Winning Dance 2006 Maundu, Maryhill Girls) also trying her hand in choreography.
There are many others who also consult, train and are in this region and i haven't known them yet but we shall have many more blogs.
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