Afri Talent exposes corruption in new play, Namunkanga

Theatre Review

Play: Namunkanga
Group: Afri Talent
Director: Abbey Mukiibi
Reviewed by: Ignatius Kamya

Before the spectacle of what was to be the official premiere of the Namunkanga stage play at Bat Valley Theatre recently, much was happening, but there was no guessing what had inspired Afri Talent to stage a new production.

The group loves political scandal and, when it intends to go the melodrama route, opts for social commentary.

In Namunkanga, they went for high drama. The play starts with a loud plane roar, becoming a norm in Kampala lately with the sound of MiGs flying over. From the start, you prepare for a war play.

However, what you get is something worth fighting: unprecedented levels of corruption.

The noise is of a plane landing at Namunkanga International Airport. At the airport, everything is annoyingly slow. The service is a disservice. Work at this airport seems very slow to any passenger's liking, caused by a corrupt clique or network of individuals tasked with running it.

Jovia, a journalist, starts writing and publishing stories in newspapers about corruption at the airport. Every corrupt individual at the airport is at the mercy of her pen, from the director down to the security guards. After the first publication, Byekwaso panics and calls several of his subordinates, many of whom are his relatives, unqualified for their positions to ask how the information leaked to the journalist.

His fear is that the journalist will uncover more mess, including the fraudulent procurement of old planes instead of new ones. The embezzlement was quite huge. Byekwaso somehow manages to contact the newspaper's management, and the stories stop appearing. Those that see the light of day are weak excuses for stories.

A flight attendant after getting off the plane during Namunkanga play at Bat Valley Theatre. Photo by Ignatius Kamya

Ritah, Byekwaso's sister and a boss at the airport, clashes with the head of security (her husband) as she tries to sneak luggage into the unnamed country. When the husband insists on following proper procedure, he is reminded that he has the job only because of her. It is scandal after scandal. An official delays a VIP from a neighboring country, insisting on a bribe first. These are all scandals Ugandans are familiar with, and the playwright did not have to mention the country for the audience to relate.

There are private investigations into the corrupt tendencies, but like in real life, the audience is left hanging.

When something goes wrong in a play about corruption, you are left wondering whether someone was compromised. The hissing sound at the beginning of the play meant that the audience missed parts of the dialogue. Perhaps the director should investigate the sound engineers.