Tag: blacktomyroots

Join us on June 1st (Madaraka Day)* for MWEUSI MPAKA MIZIZI – a Swahili/Sheng adaptation of the award-winning play Black To My Roots: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart, originally written by Kathya Alexander and Reneschia Brown.

Translated by Nairobi-born playwright and producer Muso Simekha, MWEUSI MPAKA MIZIZI draws striking parallels between Black hair stories in the United States and in Kenya. These connections across the diaspora hold special significance for Muso, who uses Sheng—a dynamic blend of Swahili, English, and other Kenyan languages—to reflect the cultural and linguistic resonance of the African American Vernacular English (AAVE) used in the original script.

Both Sheng and AAVE are vibrant vernacular languages born from marginalized communities, and in this production, they become vehicles for preserving culture, healing colonial trauma, and celebrating the reinvention of identity. Through this lens, the adaptation not only amplifies the lived experiences of Black women, but also fosters a deeper understanding of the connection between African-American and African hair stories.

Tickets are donation-based (pay what you can), a model designed to ensure the event is as accessible to the community as possible, thanks to the generous support of Inspiration Lab.

https://MweusiMpakaMizizi.eventbrite.com

*Madaraka Day commemorates the moment Kenya attained internal self-rule, marking a critical step toward full independence from British colonial rule. This adds layers of meaning to the staged reading, as it speaks directly to resistance and reclamation at the heart of the play.

Doors Open at 2 pm, Show Starts at 3pm. See you there!