Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Banned Play ‘I Will Marry When I Want’ Set To Return To Stage

The iconic play I Will Marry When I Want or as it’s known in Kikuyu, Ngaahika Ndeenda,  is returning to the Kenyan stage for the first time ever after 45 years.

Co-written by Kenya’s most celebrated writer Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Ngugi Wa Mirii, this controversial play which is set in post-independence Kenya offers searing look at the legacies of colonialism and the difficulties Kenyans faced at the time.

I Will Marry When I Want was banned in 1977 by the Kenyan government at the time, only six weeks after it was first opening.

Now, the play which was a milestone in African literature and theatre is making a comeback to the Kenya National Theatre from 12 May to 29 May 2022, and will be presented in English and Kikuyu at different performances.

This is not the first time that I Will Marry When I Want is being revived in Kenya. In 2020, the play which was due to make a comeback in June was put on hold indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Picking up from where he left off in 2020, I Will Marry When I Want is being directed and produced by Stuart Nash under Nairobi Performing Arts Studio. Nash is behind other successful productions like Sarafina and Jesus Christ Superstar.

The play will star Martin Githinji (Sue na Jonnie), Nice Githinji (Subira), Mwaura Bilal (Uradi), Angel Waruinge (Tahidi High) and Annstella Karimi (Baba Twins).