Thatch House: Bringing Positive Change Through Threatre in the Community

Thatch House (Abuja, Nigeria) Theatre Initiative is a not-for-profit theatre organisation. Its mission is to utilise theatre to bring positive change to Nigerian society. It mounts professional performances that create awareness, inform, educate and entertain its various audiences. We are artists who are passionate about performing arts.

Our major strategy in carrying out our activities has been a community theatre approach. Most of our activities deal with grassroots issues that affect us as a people such as domestic violence, child abuse, rape, women’s empowerment, child marriage, female genital mutilation, drug abuse and human trafficking. Using the storytelling technique, we create drama from first hand information gathered in local communities. 

We perform in the language the people speak and understand at mingling spaces such as marketplaces, motor parks, community halls, village squares and schools. An important aspect of our activities is the interactive session that takes place after every performance. The audience gets the opportunity to ask questions, seek clarifications and make necessary contributions to the drama presentation.

On top picture:

1. Eucharia Ella 

2. Ruth Tamti Loyi

3. Chukwuebuka Ifebunso

4. Unah Michael

5. Abraham Omale

6. Nyam David

7. Mark Musa

8. Alex Oba'a Ella

OUR VALUES

THEATRE FOR EVERYONE

We are a theatre of and for our community, committed to equity, diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility. We believe that engaging in the arts is essential to the human experience and that arts education should be available to all.

ARTISTIC AMBITION

We hold ourselves to the highest professional standards in all our work. We aim to be an important voice in the theatrical world by creating art locally that has an impact globally.

COMMUNITY

We believe that we enhance and bring hope to our communities through our activities. We create civic dialogues with art at the centre and endeavour to be the artistic home for our community.

Thatch House Performances

Empowering Change: Lydiah's Afro-Fusion Journey

Lydiah is an Afro-fusion musician based in Nairobi.

She is a composer, singer and guitarist. Lydiah’s music began and is grounded in activism, hence the term ‘Artivist’. Her music seeks to bring about positive change. Lydiah’s musical career has been heavily influenced by Africa and musical greats such as Miriam Makeba, Dobet Gnahore, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Tracy Chapman, Ayub Ogada and others.

Lydiah started her musical journey as part of a duet with Dan “Chizzy” Aceda which brought modern-day traditional music to the forefront of Kenyan music. Lydia’s music speaks to and celebrates African history, culture, heroes and heroines, current social issues as well as love and popular culture.

She is also the founder of Nairobi-based Pink Pulse Media, an all-women-led entertainment and events management provider Pink Pulse brings together women artists, focusing on the role of women and ensuring gender parity in media and entertainment businesses.

www.pinkpulsemedia.com

info@pinkpulsemedia.com

Nyatiti Arts Centre

Kake Wakake is the founder of the Nyatiti Arts Centre in the Korogocho slums. A dedicated and visionary leader in the arts community, he is committed to empowering teenage mothers, preventing addiction, and promoting sobriety among youths by means of diverse arts.

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His strategic mindset ensures that each project is impactful and sustainable. Kake’s work is marked by a unique blend of creativity, leadership, and a profound sense of purpose, driving positive change in his community. These photos show Kake at work with some of the children at the Nyatiti Arts Centre.

More of Kake's work:

EXPLORE KENYA CREATIVES