Drama Society's staging of the play 'Maua kwenye njua la asubuhi' didn't attract a full auditorium or rake in millions of shilling but it definitely brought the message home. And what it lacked for numbers in audience was more than made up by the applause of those who attended.

In the audience was Kithaka wa Mberia, the writer of the play. The play is set in an African country afflicted by petty ethnic politics. Two ethnic groups – the Watange, on one side and the Wandiku on the other are poised against each other. The Watange claim that the land upon which they live is their ancestral land and the Wandiku just acquired land there recently and thus infringed on the Watange's property rights.

So appreciative was the audience that the actors were at times almost distracted. "When I got on stage, the applause was so long and loud, I had to wait for nearly a minute before I could get to my lines," said Spencer Okech. Spencer played the part of Chebwe, a Mtange full of dislike for the Wandiku, and will do anything including using all the finances he can marshal to evict the Wandiku from the disputed land.

The club said the play is its contribution to the reconciliation and healing of Kenya. It aimed at enlightening people on the dangers of ethnicity using art. There were two curtain risers before the play.

The first piece was a choral verse that presented a historical journey of the political uncertainty in the country. It challenged the audience not to put their hopes entirely on the political class. The second was a skit on human rights by youths from Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church.

By Timothy Ikatukhu BCOM IV