If there is one thing that Kenyan artists know how to do and they do it well, it’s putting out art that speaks on the current ongoing issues. From music to theatre plays and poetry shows, you cannot miss events that speak truth to art and power.
One such artist who has been known to use art and especially poetry as a tool of edutainment is Revolutionary Spitter, real name Norris Kabembe. A writing and performing poet who also dubs as an actor, Spitter has been recognised for his stage performances, poetry albums and many of his TV and theatre contributions and appearances.
He has also organised and been a part of poetry concept shows including Out Of The Closet which showed in November 2022 and his upcoming show The Womine Experience which will be shown on the 25th of August 2024 in the Kenya National Theatre, Ukumbi Mdogo.
To delve deeper into what The Womine Experience is all about, I had a talk with Spitter where he opened up on all the themes he explores in the show, including abusive relationships, femicide and women empowerment. But before we get in too deep, what exactly is a poetry concept show?
“A poetry concept show is simply a theatrical experience that can involve acting, music or dance but the main art being expressed is based in poetry,” he says. “That means that if it’s a skit or people are acting, their lines are poems themselves. So basically it’s poets coming on stage to tell a story packaged through poetry.”
This is what Spitter aims to achieve with The Womine Experience, which is a collection of women’s stories that stems from women’s experiences with gender-based violence, body shaming, femicide, unequal treatment at workplaces and many other forms of maltreatment that women in today’s society face.
The title, Womine, is a wordplay of the word women, with men replaced as mine. The reason for this, as Spitter says, is because the violence that women face majorly stems from men who see them as possessive beings rather than just fellow human beings. In that sense, they label a woman as “mine”.
“If you look at the statistics, it’s very sad and unbelievable that many women have been murdered or injured for simply being women and in the hands of people they trusted or loved. The purpose of the show is to educate people about the crisis and to champion safer spaces.
"It’s also just to let people know that what they are going through is not necessarily good for them. There are cases where some women who have been raised in abusive homes grow up and they see this abuse as a form of protection. They haven’t internalised the abuse they have faced or are facing.”
Being a poetry concept show, The Womine Experience will be sort of a musical based on a single story with one plot, but told from multiple points of view. Spitter describes this choice in an analogy of people who have witnessed the same accident. If you were to ask the bystanders what happened, everyone will have a different opinion and story to tell and that is what he intends to bring out in the show – a single story of abuse with different perspectives.
Gender-based violence has been a recurring topic in Kenya, and earlier this year (2024), there was a femicide epidemic in the country that saw thousands march on the streets demanding justice. Having largely participated in the march himself, Spitter was deeply moved by the stories of the women. He recorded an EP earlier in the year called Womine EP, which features three poems that address the assault stories of women. The show is an extension of the EP performed for a live audience.
To put on a show at this time, when the country seems to have forgotten about the femicide epidemic, is a move that Spitter feels is needed. The intention behind it is to let the conversation continue beyond times when it’s only termed as a crisis or when there’s news of a woman abused or killed in gender-based violence.
“This has to be something that is talked about every day because everyday people get hurt. I am intentional about the timing because I’m speaking of this when the issue has “fazed out”. Right now, people are focusing on other matters and they have forgotten about this ongoing issue. We don’t just have to speak about it in March, or when there’s a case. This has to be a continuing conversation so that the current or future generations are educated on the matter. Eventually, hopefully, we will stop the count.”
At the very end of The Womine Experience, there will be a reconciliation segment where everyone realises that addressing different forms of GBV is a society’s collective responsibility. Spitter, who initially has been a witness of domestic abuse from a neighbour and her husband who lived near him, has often grappled with the dilemma of how to help in such a situation as a bystander.
“When I witnessed that situation (the GBV in his neighbour’s house), I really wished I could do anything to help. I tried to help the woman, but then at times, I felt I was becoming more of a burden to the family. And the fact that the other neighbours were also just watching, and I was relatively new to the building, it felt like it would be intrusive for me to intervene. Unless you know safe houses or organisations that can help, as a bystander, you almost feel hopeless.”
Spitter’s own experiences bring a vital matter to the table. As a bystander in gender-based violence cases, what can you do to assist the person facing such violence? Even though he says that the show will not necessarily give out direct solutions to the matter but will leave it for the audience to figure out, he feels that the show will open the eyes of many people not to shy away from aiding people in such situations.
To conclude the interview, I asked Spitter how he felt about the production of the show and if there was any advice he could offer an inspiring creative who wants to put on their own show.
“This show I think is my best one yet,” he says, “Working with the team, I was able to ask the actors and everyone in the crew what they feel about the different pieces, so in a sense, it does not just belong to me but to all of us. The whole show is kind of like a safe space for everyone involved in it because there is a lot of energy and exchange of information. It just makes the whole production a beautiful space to be in.
"For any young poet looking to produce their own show, the advice I can give is to first of all have a support group that affirms you because sometimes you can feel like giving up. I have felt like giving up several times, but having a support group has really helped. Have a team of creatives who can help you build the concept and know what you want to involve to make your show and story complete. Be ready to be challenged and to learn. And lastly, just be daring. Keep going.”
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The Womine Experience is showing on 25th August 2024 at the Kenya National Theatre, Ukumbi Mdogo at 3 pm and 6 pm. The tickets go for KSH 1200 (single) and KSH 2500 (Group tickets for 4 Baddies).
Buy your tickets via Revolutionary Spitter’s HustleSasa Shop or via MPESA Buy Goods Till Number 9007469
