The Story
Tales of the Accidental City is a play about four residents of Nairobi who find themselves stuck together in a three-day anger management class after being accused by the courts of various misdemeanors. Diana, Jacinda, Louis Njoroge, and Sarah Obama must explain what got them there, and with the help of their quirky counsellor Rose, find a way to heal the wounds inflicted on them by life in the crazy city of Nairobi.
Nairobi
In 2019, eight Nairobi-based writers got together to write a collection of stories inspired by their city. Humans of the Nairobi sought to explore Nairobi 120 years after its ‘creation’.
Once a seasonal swamp on the edge of a forest, Nairobi was not meant to be more than a railway depot for people and goods on their way elsewhere. Today, Kenya’s capital city is home to over four million people. It’s a throbbing metropolis in which dreams collide and where lives are swallowed up and spat out again. A place where some come to run away from the ghosts of their past, some finding respite, others carrying their demons with them.
Through this portrait of Nairobi, the authors tell the story of many African cities challenged by population growth, inequality and social injustice.
Tales of the Accidental City is an adaptation of four stories from this collection: Black Paint by , Banana Jam by , Finding Home by and God is My Witness by Maïmouna Jallow.
Our Journey
Tales of the Accidental City was originally written for the stage and as an audio drama by playwright
When Covid-19 hit, and faced with the reality that the play would not be able to be staged in front of live audiences, Maïmouna adapted it into a screen-play.
In came Director of Photography and Editor , and together with a fantastic cast and crew, she directed an experimental home-made feature-length film in which ‘Zoom’ is the stage. The result is a true celebration of literary and performance art. And a testament to the power of adaptability!
