Zaidi Ya Imani (Beyond Beliefs) (2026)

Zaidi Ya Imani (Beyond Beliefs)

2026 Kenya / UK, 35 and 29 mins

Director Saitabao Kaiyare

Producer Alastair Cole 

Languages: Swahili and English. Subtitles available: English and Swahili

In coastal Kenya, researchers and a theatre company turn the hidden stigma of epilepsy and Parkinson’s into participatory plays – giving the stories of those living with these conditions a stage. 

Synopsis:

Stigma thrives in silence, and in coastal Kenya, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease are shrouded in it, misunderstood as curses, contagion, or addiction. Zaidi Ya Imani (Beyond Beliefs) follows a collaboration between researchers and a theatre company, co-creating two participatory plays drawn from real experiences of people living with these conditions. Through rehearsals, workshops, and community performances, the film traces the delicate work of turning private suffering into public story, and the actors’ reckoning with carrying someone else’s truth on stage. As productions take shape, the film reveals the weight of stigma and theatre’s power to transform it.

The film was made as part of the ESRC funded Canvas For Change project, and in collaboration with Baru Collective and with the participation of Jukwaa Arts Production.

The film is available for screenings over 2027, please email us on screener@tonguetiedfilms.co.uk.