JOHN SIBI-OKUMU – A most accomplished and distinguished Kenyan, thespian, playwright and commentator, a close friend and supporter of AwaaZ Magazine and its long-time board member for many years, a recipient of many awards was on 4 December 2021, in Tunis, given an award by the *Carthage International Theatre Festival [*Les Journées Théâtrales de Carthage] now in its 22nd edition. Here below is the citation which accompanied it and a picture of the handsome ‘young’ man holding the award.
Hongera John, many times over!
Carthage International Theatre Festival citation:
JOHN SIBI-OKUMU
Kenya
He is called ‘Mwalimu,’ the Kiswahili word for ‘teacher’ owing to the fact that he was a teacher of French for close to 30 years. Moreover, he has been named a Chevalier des Palmes Académiques.
John Sibi-Okumu was born in Kenya where he received the major part of his education with significant spells in England and France. He also writes prose and poetry and is a print and broadcast journalist, heard on radio and seen on television. He is known for his interviews of newsmakers like Kofi Annan and Jane Goodall and for his presentation of the internationally popular, inter-university quiz show, ‘The Zain Africa Challenge’.
His career in the theatre has taken in more than 40 lead roles. He has also written 9 plays and directed ‘Mo Faya!’ which featured in the New York Festival of Musical Theatre, 2009. June 2021 saw the publication of six of his original texts in ‘Collected Plays, 2004-2014,’ all largely inspired by the socio-political evolution of his native country.
