How collaboration is opening new opportunities for Kenya’s creatives

Limited access to resources, professional networks, audiences and sustainable income makes it difficult for many Kenyan creatives to build careers.

Partnerships between artists, creative organisations and supporting institutions can help address these challenges by creating platforms to showcase talent, develop skills and reach new audiences.

A theatre performance staged by Creatives Garage at Braeburn School in Nairobi demonstrates how such partnerships can open new possibilities.

The production adapted musician Zaituni Wambui’s music into an immersive theatrical experience combining storytelling and dance. Supported by the British Council, the production brought together artists from different creative disciplines.

From music to theatre

Zaituni Wambui, known professionally as Zaituni, has spent nearly nine years pursuing her musical career.

In 2022, she emerged second in Tusker Nexters, earning funding to produce her debut body of work, Labour of Love.

“I have been doing music for the last, I think, eight years going to nine. But my big break started in 2022,” she said.

The funding gave her greater control over her music, allowing her to choose collaborators and influence the production process.

“Labour of Love was my debut body of work. It was the first time I was able to tell my story the way I wanted it. I could choose who to work with and who was to play what. I had a say in the production because I had money to pay for it from Tusker Nexters,” she said.

Her passion for singing began before she understood where it might lead.

“When I started, I didn’t understand what I was even picking up. I just knew that I loved singing,” she said. “I told my mother, ‘I feel like I’m average at many things, but not singing.’”

Her introduction to theatre came in 2023 when she recorded vocals for Glooms in the Dark, a production through which she met its founder, Thayu Kilili. The experience opened opportunities to collaborate with creatives beyond music.

The album features tracks including Unanipa, Tamu and Inakuuma, drawing on experiences involving family, friendships and relationships.

“Those songs are very close to my heart. I wrote about my family members, friends and my relationship experiences. I put all these feelings together in my Labour of Love album. I wrote it from a very honest place,” she said.

Preparing for the stage required commitment from a team working within a limited rehearsal period. Some performers balanced rehearsals with other work responsibilities.

“Everyone understood what was required of them and dedicated their time and effort. Sometimes people didn’t sleep. Some had night shifts but still came for practice. We did our best with the time we had,” she said.

Reflecting on her growth, she said she had progressed from performing for just a handful of people to building a fan base that enabled her to reach larger audiences.

“I have performed for two, three people. I have started from the bottom. Literally no one knew me at all. And I’ve built a fan base to the point where I am able to perform for many people,” she said.

She encouraged emerging artists to give their best whenever opportunities arise, regardless of the size of the platform.

Collaboration on and off stage

For Genevieve Omole, a Nairobi-based dancer, model and creative, the musical offered an opportunity to work with other performers and contribute to a collaborative artistic experience.

Omole, who has been a model for three years and a dancer throughout her life, previously worked with Creatives Garage as part of the modelling team during the Sondeka Festival on September 12

. She learnt about the opportunity through a friend, applied and was selected.

“It was magical. It was intense because we only had two weeks to bring the musical to life, but everyone took up their assigned roles and worked diligently,” she said.

Although she had worked with the organisation before, the experience helped her build closer relationships with the cast. The dancers also helped other performers learn and execute the movements required for the show.

The play follows a woman navigating the highs and lows of love. Although she finds the relationship she desires, she also experiences pain, prompting reflection on love and the importance of choosing oneself.

Omole hopes the story will encourage audiences to recognise their worth and reflect on their relationships.

Drawing from her experience, she urged young creatives to keep improving their skills and remain prepared for opportunities.

“Don’t stop honing your craft, because you never know when the opportunity will knock at your door, and you have to be ready,” she said.

She also encouraged young people to use social media to showcase their talents, collaborate, attend auditions and events, and build professional networks.

“Even if you don’t know anything about it, attend, network, learn and grow. That is how you grow,” she said.

Building a creative community

Creatives Garage is a multidisciplinary arts organisation founded in 2012 and registered in 2013.

Guided by the idea of a modern African village, it brings together artists, storytellers, cultural practitioners and creative technologists to develop work across music, film, theatre, publishing, photography, digital media, gaming and emerging technologies.

Its activities help artists access resources, reach audiences and build sustainable careers.

Its founder, Thayu Kilili, wrote and directed the play, drawing on her admiration for Zaituni’s music and their earlier collaboration on Glooms in the Dark, where the musician was one of the vocal leads.

“I have always loved her music, and I have just seen her journey and how she has grown into what she has become,” Kilili said.

After the album’s release, they explored how its songs could be connected through a theatrical narrative.

“The music is beautiful, the music flows, so let’s see how I could write a script that joins all these songs together,” she said.

Kilili marvelled at how quickly the team had brought the production together.

“Would you believe that we’ve put this production together in two weeks?” she said.

She also acknowledged Aggie the Dance Queen, who choreographed the dance sequences. Nearly 70 people contributed to the production, including those working behind the scenes.

The British Council supported the show through its legacy programme, which followed the previous year’s UK-Kenya Season, when artists from both countries collaborated on creative works.

During the season, Creatives Garage ran five events before being selected, alongside Visit Ngara, as a legacy programme partner to develop further events and creative projects. Labour of Love was one of the projects it chose to undertake.

Over the years, the organisation has worked with more than 17,000 creatives, helping artists showcase their work, develop their talents and earn from their skills.

“For the organisation, the most important thing is for creatives to keep getting opportunities like this,” Kilili said, adding that partnerships with organisations willing to support their work could create more opportunities.

Through its work, it seeks to connect artists with opportunities to tell their own stories, build meaningful careers and contribute to a thriving creative economy.