eBASE Africa Strengthens Storytelling for Evidence Uptake in Kenya 

eBASE Africa has taken its evidence-to-storytelling approach to Kenya, bringing together local storytellers and artists to explore how art and storytelling can help make evidence more accessible, relatable and useful to communities. 

Held in Nairobi as part of the Brighter Future Project-WEES, the training was facilitated by eBASE Africa in partnership with KICA, Afya Research Africa and JBI. The engagement brought together 27 participants for a practical learning experience focused on the intersection of art, science, evidence and community realities. 

The workshop introduced participants to Tori Dey, eBASE Africa’s evidence-to-storytelling approach, which combines research evidence, community realities, storytelling, arts and performance. In Kenya, the approach was applied to evidence from an implementation project examining handwritten prescription practices in a public hospital in Uasin Gishu County. This gave participants an opportunity to explore not only what the evidence showed, but also the behaviours, systems and experiences connected to the issue 

Through a series of interactive exercises, participants explored the role of art in communicating ideas and reflecting society. They were encouraged to see artists not only as performers, but also as observers of their communities who can help connect evidence with lived experiences. 

The sessions also explored how people interpret information differently depending on their language, culture, experiences, expectations and prior knowledge. This helped participants understand an important part of evidence communication: making evidence accessible requires more than simplifying information; it requires understanding how people receive and make sense of it. 

Discussions around healthcare communication brought the evidence closer to everyday experiences. Participants reflected on the roles of healthcare professionals and patients, the importance of clear communication and trust, and the factors that can influence behaviour and practice. A personal experience shared during the workshop further highlighted how difficulties in understanding health information can affect individuals and families. 

For participants, the connection between art and evidence was one of the most valuable aspects of the training. 

“Art can be used to translate evidence to simple digestible ideas,” one participant observed. Another reflected that “an artist has to know the root cause of a problem and they are the observer of their community.” Participants described the training as fun, engaging, informative and educative, with one participant rating the experience 9/10. Others highlighted increased confidence, new knowledge and the opportunity to learn through partnership and trust. Another participant stated "KICA- Sanaa ni kioo cha jamii” (Art is the reflection of the society) 

The training moved beyond discussion into practice. Working with the evidence on handwritten prescriptions, participants developed a story, assigned roles and transformed the narrative into a performance. The story was also recorded at the KICA studio for podcast production, creating an additional channel through which the evidence can reach wider audiences. 

The experience culminated in a community performance in Kimungu, Kibera, where the KICA team presented the drama to more than 200 community members. The performance explored the potential consequences of poor or unclear handwriting on prescriptions and was followed by questions and discussion with the audience, creating an opportunity for community members to engage directly with the issue. 

Storytelling session in the community

While participants expressed strong appreciation for the training, they also identified areas for improvement, particularly the need to adhere more closely to communicated starting and ending times and to provide clearer expectations about the training ahead of future sessions. 

For eBASE Africa, the Kenya engagement provided an opportunity to further test and strengthen the Tori Dey approach in an implementation science context. It demonstrated how evidence can move from an implementation project, through understanding and storytelling, into performance and community dialogue. 

The experience also provides an important foundation for applying the evidence-to-storytelling approach in subsequent Brighter Future countries, strengthening efforts to connect evidence with the people and communities it is intended to serve.