Dark faith: Riveting plays lay bare Kenya’s cult horror, religious exploitation
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Two deeply provocative musical plays, ‘In the Name of the Father’ by Kenda Creatives and ‘Against the Tide’ by Son of Man Theatre Productions, confronted audiences with the dark side of religion.
At the heart of both performances was a brutal, unflinching look at cultism, mass manipulation, and exploitation in the name of God, dramatisations inspired by the chilling Shakahola massacre that shook Kenya in 2023.
Staged at Woodcreek School, ‘In the Name of the Father’ opened with a tender yet tense moment between siblings. Juma (William Anthony) urges his sister Neema (Kirsten Gakii) to take her ailing child to the hospital. Neema, consumed by faith in the enigmatic Pastor Amos (Shatem Omar), refuses, believing only divine healing can help.
But Pastor Amos is no saint. A master manipulator armed with scripture and song, he fleeces his congregation for their last shilling, urging them to abandon modern life and retreat into the forest, where he claims salvation awaits.
The forest soon turns into a nightmare of starvation and death.
Content retrieved from: https://www.tnx.africa/arts-culture/article/2001516877/dark-faith-riveting-plays-lay-bare-kenyas-cult-horror-religious-exploitation.
