{"id":11018,"date":"2026-04-06T09:39:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/involvement.co.ke\/?p=11018"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:39:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:39:22","slug":"too-early-for-birds-wangari-maathai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/2026\/04\/06\/too-early-for-birds-wangari-maathai\/","title":{"rendered":"Too Early For Birds: Wangari Maathai"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Joe Aura, aurajoe6@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Since its debut in 2017, Too Early for Birds (TEFB)<\/em> has grown into a cultural phenomenon in Kenya – consistently selling out venues and earning critical acclaim for its bold, innovative retelling of Kenyan history.<\/p>\n

The production has positioned itself as a leader in Kenyan theatre, with recognition at the Kenya Theatre Awards and beyond. At the 2025 awards, the Tom Mboya Edition<\/em> emerged as a major winner, taking home four awards, including Best Storytelling Production. Earlier, at the 2018 Sanaa Theatre Awards, TEFB secured Best Production, Best Play in English, and the Maya Angelou Award for its focus on women\u2019s rights and GBV.<\/p>\n

Each edition carries its own cultural weight.<\/p>\n

The Tom Mboya Edition<\/em> stood out for blending sharp historical research with humor and \u201cKenyanisms.\u201d The Badassery Edition<\/em> (February 2025) explored the colonial roots of Kenya\u2019s police force across five successful shows. And now, the spotlight shifts.<\/p>\n

Their newest edition focuses on Wangar\u0129 Maathai\u2019s life (a.k.a \u201cShawry for Trees\u201d)<\/em>\u2014rewriting her story not just as a historical figure, but as a woman navigating resistance, power, and survival.<\/p>\n

I attended a press briefing at Jain Bhavan Auditorium on behalf of Involvement Newspaper<\/em>, following an invitation from WhoWhatWhere Magazine<\/em>. From a short skit and an engaging Q&A session, several things became clear.<\/p>\n

First, the creative core behind this production is largely female – researched by Ngartia, K\u0129memia Macharia, Nyag\u0169thi\u0129 A. Murage, Meran Randa and M\u0169thoni Mwangi.<\/p>\n

The research behind the production draws from sources such as Maathai\u2019s memoirs, The Challenge for Africa<\/em>, and accounts documented by contemporaries like Tabitha. But beyond books, the storytelling leans into lived realities\u2014moments that feel almost cinematic in their intensity.<\/p>\n

The show is written by Abigail Arunga, Wacuka M\u0169ngai, and Ras Mengesha, and is edited by Ndinda Kioko. This edition is produced by Sheba Hirst, with marketing led by M\u0169tw\u0129ri Njag\u0129.<\/p>\n

As the Abigail Arunga, the head writer emphasized,\u201cThere is no revolution without women. It\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

And that perspective shapes how the story is told.<\/p>\n

From this play we will get to hear about encounters with state violence, being pursued and learning how to hide in places like Karura Forest, incidents of confrontation, including gates being rammed during moments of protest and other lived experiences like love that shaped a movement.<\/p>\n

Many people who have watched a \u2018Too Early for Birds\u2019 play talk about<\/em> its ability to draw parallels between past and present. The writers\u2019 room is not only revisiting history but also interrogating it.<\/p>\n

Viewers are advised to forget everything they told you about Wangar\u0129 Maathai\u2019s story, that she was a wild uncontrollable. The production will address how she changed climate action and climate justice, indigenous knowledge and biodiversity, women in science and activism and the ongoing tension between state power and civic resistance A mirror to society.<\/p>\n

To expand its reach beyond Nairobi, there are plans to have the production filmed in collaboration with Biodiversity Alliance, ensuring the story travels across counties and potentially beyond borders.<\/p>\n

However, like many creative productions in Kenya, funding remains a major limitation, especially when it comes to touring locally and internationally.<\/p>\n

However, in collaboration with mookh and who what where magazine and Story Zetu, Too Early for Birds<\/em> has consistently sold out over 90% of its shows. Previous editions, such as the Tom Mboya series, have already proven the appetite for Kenyan audiences to engage with their own history.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the briefing brought together a mix of activists, creatives, journalists, and cultural stakeholders. Among them was activist and presidential candidate Boniface Mwangi, alongside artists like Juliani, and a strong presence of women producers, writers, journalists, and feminists.<\/p>\n

It is worth noting that the show is recommended for audiences 16 and above, due to its inclusion of strong language and depictions of violence.<\/p>\n

Too Early for Birds: Wangar\u0129 Maathai
\nJain Bhavan Auditorium, Nairobi
\nApril 10\u201312, 2026
\nTickets available via Mookh<\/p>\n

#tuwatchplay<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

For story pitches, commissioned writing, or collaborations, connect with Joe on LinkedIn:<\/em>
\nhttps:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/aura-joe-digitalproducer\/recent-activity\/articles\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Joe Aura, aurajoe6@gmail.com Since its debut in 2017, Too Early for Birds (TEFB) has grown into a cultural phenomenon in Kenya – consistently selling out venues and earning critical acclaim for its bold, innovative retelling of Kenyan history. The production has positioned itself as a leader in Kenyan theatre, with recognition at the Kenya […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[334,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11018\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invo.nyarango.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}