Wano Waife, a moving community theatre production which was staged in Walukuba village in Jinja district last month. Community theatre is traditionally staged in the communities where the stories being told are set, where the target audience is the people in the communities themselves, where that audience sees themselves in the stories and they directly receive the message at the heart of these plays. Wano Waife was no different.
Wano Waife was produced through a three-year collaboration between Makerere University, University of Leeds, Arts Applied Uganda, and We Are Walukuba. After a successful run in Walukuba, the play was brought to the Uganda National Theatre stage in Kampala. This was the first time in many years that a play of this nature was staged at the National Theatre, and it was a refreshing experience.
In Wano Waife, which means ‘this is our land’ in Lusoga, the people of Walukuba village navigate poverty, displacement, fractured dreams, and the pressures of modern survival. Through music, dance, drama, and interactive community engagement, the production explores what it means to fight for land ownership in an ever-changing society driven by blind ambition and greed.
The production was a result of a larger seven-year project, ‘Communication and Creativity,’ founded by the late Professor Jane Plastow, which worked with marginalized communities in western Kenya and eastern Uganda. This project focused on highlighting poor interpersonal communication as a barrier to community development, and this is how the idea for the play was born. For three years, Prof. Plastow worked as the project manager for Wano Waife before her passing last year. This was a painful blow to the team, who had already made so much progress with the production.
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After the unfortunate incident, Dr.Matthew Elliot from the University of Leeds took over as the principal investigator. He worked alongside Dr.Lillian Mbabazi, a theatre practitioner and lecturer at Makerere University. Dr. Mbabazi is also the founder of Arts Applied Uganda, an organization that works to create awareness about different social issues in marginalised Ugandan communities.
“Wano Waife was born out of previous projects we have done with the University of Leeds, which were initiated by Prof. Jane Plastow as part of her research, which required her to partner with a local university in order to get funding,” says Dr. Mbabazi who attended the University of Leeds for her masters degree in theatre under the supervision of Prof Plastow.
The play was written by Prof. Susan Kiguli also from Makerere University. She wrote the script using data collected from research carried out in the community. The team engaged with the community members of different age groups to better understand which issues were the most pressing for them, and land ownership stood out the most.
During this time, the community members came up with the different scenarios they faced, and they were forwarded to Prof. Kiguli, who weaved the narratives together to create the play. Through music, dance, drama, and interactive community engagement, the production explores what it means to fight for dignity in an ever-changing society.
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The play opens with evocative monologues about the characters’ fantasies and dream lives, accompanied by live drums, music, and dance. Dreams become a recurring motif throughout the performance, with each character carrying their own version of hope and disappointment about life in Walukuba village. At the center of Wano Waife is Isabirye (Kirokya Jamil) a struggling man whose frustrations are intensified by unemployment, poverty, and increasing pressure from his wife Nabirye (Daisy Phiona Owomugisha) who is not satisfied with their simple life. Nabirye, exhausted by hardship, repeatedly pushes Isabirye to do more for their family and threatens to leave him for a richer man if he doesn’t. Their fragile relationship, which is constantly tested by external and internal pressures, serves as the emotional anchor of the play.
A wider community of characters surrounds them, each representing different social realities and personal struggles. There is John (Kainerugaba Rwakatembeeka Kamusyo), Isabirye’s optimistic young nephew who still dares to dream despite his circumstances. Anna (Annet Naiguru), who is passionate about music and dance, longs for a future where she can make a living from her talents. Darren (Janat Nakiranda), a schoolgirl from a poor background, faces bullying and peer pressure while trying to hold onto her ambitions and honour her late mother’s wishes. Meanwhile, Fifi (Aisha Kantono), the self-proclaimed ‘slay queen’ of Walukuba, finds herself navigating economic survival and morally compromising choices.
Wano Waife beautifully captures the interconnectedness of the personal struggle and injustice of the people of Walukuba when they find themselves at risk of displacement due to a wealthy developer’s selfish interests. Mulala (Muzito Geoffrey), whose father previously owned the land and had allowed the people to occupy it using informal agreements, is determined to sell and redevelop it. He demands land titles and threatens to demolish the homes on the land, which leads to friction between his agents and the people of Walukuba village.
We follow the rising tensions in the community through households, gardens, schools, bars, and other community spaces as the people try to fight against Mulala and his plans. At the factory where Isabirye works, he is subjected to harassment by a tyrannical, disabled boss (Kabindura George) who cruises around in his wheelchair like it’s a throne on wheels and constantly picks on him. Eventually, Isabirye loses his job, which deepens his despair and further strains his already shaky relationship with his wife, Nabirye.
While helping her mother in the garden, Anna shares her dreams of stardom and confronts her mother about the disrespect she tolerates from her father. Her mother reprimands her about her ridiculous plans and defends her husband, which leaves Anna frustrated and determined to have a different life from her parents. In the village bar, where many go to escape their problems, a love-struck John tries to woo Fifi, but she rejects his advances because he has no money and calls him a useless dreamer. While at school, Darren struggles against the luring peer pressure from her classmates who try to convince her to get a rich man to take care of her.
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The production’s use of participatory theatre during the community center meeting was particularly engaging and effective. The performers moved to the audience and invited them to join the discussions around protecting land rights and organising collectively against Mulala’s threats. This interactive element transformed the audience from passive observers into citizens of Walukuba itself and reinforced the production’s community theatre roots.
Ms. Brenda Mawerere, the Project Manager of ‘We Are Walukuba’, a community-based organization and partner on the production, is proud of contributing to the development of her community through this production. Born and raised in Walukuba village, Mawerere worked on the project for the past three years and was responsible for coordinating the community members and project partners.
“This is the biggest project I have ever coordinated, and it felt good working with people that I know and who know me as well,” she said. “It has been very satisfying hearing people mention my parents and appreciate them because of the work I’m doing,” she adds.
Through the ‘We Are Walukuba’ organization, community members have more opportunities, including free training in music, dance, drama, and filmmaking that enhance their self-expression.
Music and dance are at the heart of Wano Waife, and these storytelling tools beautifully explore a range of traditional rhythms and ensemble choreography that carry emotional transitions throughout the play. When the court order to stop the demolitions of homes was passed, the final celebratory dances highlighted the victory of the people of Walukuba and offered a cathartic resolution after prolonged tensions.
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However, the play avoids simplistic resolutions and happy endings. Even after the community victory, the people continue to grapple with emotional scars, regrets, and lessons learned the hard way. Fifi, who became an informant of Mulala’s agents at some point in the play, is forced to sit with shame after being exposed as a traitor of the community. This adds to the moral complexity of the story and raises difficult questions about survival, betrayal, and forgiveness.
In the closing monologues, the audience bears witness to transformation and possibility as the main characters find meaningful resolutions and clarity. Isabirye secures a new job, and his wife Nabirye begins imagining financial independence through a SACCO loan for her fashion business. Anna edges closer to her dream as a dancer, and John starts a chess club. Darren regains confidence in her future and recommits herself to the dream of finishing her education.
What makes Wano Waife compelling is not just its social messaging, but its authenticity. With a cast of mainly first-time actors supported by a few professional actors, the play, which was performed in Lusoga and Luganda, was refreshing to watch and easy to follow even for those who didn’t understand the languages. The production felt deeply rooted in lived experiences, and its characters communicated relatable frustrations, humor, and aspirations.
The success of this production shows the importance of local and international collaborations in theatre. The Ugandan and UK institutions demonstrate the possibilities of socially engaged theatre that focuses on dialogue and grassroots realities over spectacle alone. Beyond the lights, costumes, music, and movement lies a critical reflection on urban displacement, unemployment, youth aspirations, gender dynamics, and communal resistance.
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Wano Waife is a timely and necessary play during a time when conversations about land rights, economic hardship, and social inequality continue across different regions in Uganda. It not only challenges the status quo, but it also reminds audiences that community theatre still has the power not only to entertain, but to mobilise empathy, conversation, and hope for better circumstances.
Wano Waife was also dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Jane Plastow (1958 – 2005)
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