Days before he was voted President in the US elections, Barack Obama, along with John McCain, took centre stage on the opening night of ‘Obama – the Musical’ in Kenya.
It was a biography of Barack Obama told in dance, song and narrative with music from different genres including traditional Kenyan music.
The show even included scenes of before his birth, such as when his father moved from Kenya to America and met Barack’s mother.
It then went on to show Obama’s political career until he accepted the Democratic nomination.
George Orido, the writer and director, said that in his play, McCain is the ‘chief villain’, along with George Bush and Sarah Palin who are “standing in Obama’s way.”
Paul Kamau, the actor portraying John McCain, is a firm supporter of Obama, and expressed a touch of resentment at his part, saying: “Obama is more fun to portray than McCain.”
Meanwhile, the actor portraying Barack Obama felt “privileged” to play the part.
Orido stated his aim was to get people to “learn about hard work, selflessness, democracy and public service.”
Expressing his reasoning for making the play a musical, he said: “Music is the universal language, and Obama is the universal figure.”
Despite only being an hour long, and running for just four nights, the director said he hasn’t “ruled out a sequel” and confirmed that he has had “invitations to perform in the UK”.
America’s new president Obama is hugely popular in Kenya, where he has even had a beer named after him.
