DINNER WITH
DINNER WITH MBITHI MASYA
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This month, Lucy Munene sat down with writer, director and self-proclaimed lover of taste Mbithi Masya at the cosy Tribe44 to talk film, his creative journey and combis.
e did not arrive at Tribe44 ready to be schooled but chef and owner Jasraj Jandu was ready to present with facts and fusion food. The name of this restaurant comes from the declaration in 2017 that the Indian community was recognised as the 44th tribe in Kenya. This was the inspiration behind the menu as well which we all stared at in complete confusion. The descriptions provided by the chef raised all the eyebrows at the table (including a samosa/mandazi combination fondly known as a combi). So as we sat down, we talked about cultural fusion with food and art. “I’m boring when it comes to food. I like to keep things simple. Food doesn’t need to come with pomp and glamour. However, as more time has gone by in have PHOTO BY KIDD_VOLT found myself appreciating homecooked African food more. I’m at that weird stage where going out to restaurants doesn’t excite me as much.” We laughed at the irony that this interview was exactly that, took healthy sips of our brandy dawas and steered the conversation I’d say Kenyan creatives are like towards the Kenyan creative scene and his malaria, they aren’t going anywhere. journey through it. “With my whole creative journey, there No matter how much the world tries has been no destination or plan. I was in to destroy malaria, malaria is there. Justaband while studying Business & IT so we were making music and shooting music videos then one day those videos took us to New York where we had video exhibitions. After that because of the nature of what “I think the Kenyan creative scene is in a we do, I thought let me try and tell a bigger dope space right now. I know this is a cliche story which led to a feature film that took off phrase to say but it feels like a renaissance on its own. It’s all been kind of fluid.” of sorts artistically with kids now getting This is where the food came and threw more support from their parents. However, us all out for a loop. The ugali cheese balls we basically did this as rebels. I remember served with githeri and honey garlic pepper there was a time we were at Bill’s house wings not only looked delicious but tasted during the early days of Justaband and we so good that plates were cleaned before we were chilling outside of his house, his mum continued talking.
gave us a lecture about wasting our lives and then earlier this year I shot a video for him in his house and you could see how proud she was.” There is much to be said about the Kenyan creative scene and as we moved tables for the main course, Mbithi added “What I love most about the Kenyan creative scene is the people. For lack of a better comparison, I’d say Kenyan creatives are like malaria, they aren’t going anywhere. No matter how much the world tries to destroy malaria, malaria is there. That’s how we are. Kenya is not a hospitable place for creatives even though we are here and are surviving.” Mbithi’s passion for film is clear, and that was visible as we discussed his history with the industry. “My first favourite film was Terminator 2 and it’s still in my top 5. The main thing that keeps it there is how it made me feel. Most recently though I watched Last Black Man in San Francisco which came out in July. The subject matter can be heavy but it’s treated in a light way that why it seems like it’s all over the place. There’s something about growing older and things aren’t as you thought they would be plus things have changed from what they used to be so you can’t go back to what you knew. That’s what the movie touched on that resonated with me. I’m drawn to films where I can feel someone was trying to process something themselves. It’s like a book, you can tell when the writer’s personality or life has bled into the book so for me, what is most interesting is feeling what someone else is feeling. That is what I love about film.” I couldn’t possibly fit our discussion on craft beer, his next film and the best biriyani in Malindi all in this column but you can read all of that on www.yummy.co.ke.
Yummy. Food. Drink. Life
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