Packaging a Story

We are all storytellers. Whether you are a tailor, an accountant, a journalist, a home maker, a teacher, a priest , a HR manager, a writer, an actor, a director, a film maker, a waiter, an undertaker, a doctor or even a MP. At one time in our professions, we find ourselves telling a story, narrating an ordeal, making a presentation, convincing a mass of people orally, singing a song or even gossiping. All these tasks if we look at them from a creative angle are stories. An accountant analyzing a balance sheet with a group of managers will need to find the right styles to make themselves persuasive as they explain why the company is experiencing massive losses. A tailor might find themselves telling a client about how a fashion trend emerged and how it is sweeping the entire world with its finesse. A homemaker mother will at most times find themselves giving stories to her cronies. Stories live in us. What however differentiates good story tellers from unsuccessful ones is how we package the tales. That brings me to the theme of this blog post; story packaging.

What is the difference between a boring play from an interesting one? You got it right—packaging. What makes some actors shine better than others? Packaging. What makes a writer shine over others? Packaging.  Packaging separates wheat from the chaff. It gives the artist an inimitable edge that only belongs to them and makes their works easily identifiable. I can for example point out the writings of Wahome Mutahi (he of the Whispers Column fame). I can identify an actor as Mr. Bean even if I stumbled on 50 actors doing their thing on blindfold.

Wahome Mutahi of Whispers Column Fame

I have been closely watching youtube videos of some of the renowned actors such as the comic Mr. Bean ( Rowan Atikson), Charlie Chaplin of the Trump fame, Nkem Owoh ( The Nigerian king of comedy of Osoufia fame) and Jamleck Kihenjo ( Kikuyu comedy giant). In his works, Mr. Bean will always make faces even when he is acting in the most serious roles. He will at the end of the day prove to be the clown due to his seemingly social aloofness. In his works, the late Charlie Chaplin wore like a trump and had all mannerisms of a vagrant. His feet were abnormally long and he wore the funniest trousers. Nkem Owoh will always find ways to get angry and reply rudely to people. He has a way of humurously twisting remarks made by other people.  Jamleck Kihenjo likes wearing like a woman and cracking up his audience at every moment. He is rowdy and makes the most noise in his productions.

Jamleck Kihenjo right

I have also been reading books from renowned authors such as Ngugi wa Thiongo, Chinua Achebe, Wahome Mutahi and Barbara Kimenye, Chimamanda Adichie. Ngugi wa Thiongo seems ever preoccupied with the past. He writes about the Maumau movement, pre-colonial Kenya and Christian missionaries. Chinua Achebe laces his works with proverbs and Igbo stories. Wahome Mutahi was popular for using monikers where he named his wife Thatcher, mother Appepklonia, son Whispers Junior and daughter the Investment. Wahome uses the oral narrative language in his newspaper column- a simple flowery language that the layman could identify with. The late Barbara Kimenye wrote the Moses Kibaya Series that revolved around truant boys in one of the worst  schools ever; Old Mukibi’s Institute for the Sons of African Gentlemen. Chimamanda Adichie uses simple but descriptive language with a dash of a Nigerian word here and there.

On matters theatre, I have closely been scrutinizing the stage plays of Cleophas Malala, the late Francis Imbuga and Kenya Institute of Mass Communication productions. Cleophas Malala’s plays revolve around equality and Kenya’s most recent happenings. Francis Imbuga’s plays revolved around neo-colonialism and corruption.

Charlie Chaplin

Packaging yourself and also your story takes time. It requires that you first know you are; so as to get what your strengths and weaknesses are. Once you know this, you start creating your edge and winning the attention of your audience. You also go for avenues that you are going to shine in as you try to learn on avenues that you are weak in.