Legend’s thespian Gilbert Owino

The Mombasa entertainment has been dealt a huge blow following the sudden demise of thespian Gilbert Owino aka Gillie. He last appeared on Maisha Magic’s Swahili telenovela Pete, where he played the role of Mzee Msiri after he joined the team three years ago. He succumbed to liver cancer last Friday while receiving treatment at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital. Jasmine Atieno @sparkleMine Gillie joined the theatre in 1984, served as a committee member at the Little Theatre Club (LTC), and he was also part of the management team in 2017 when the government pumped in millions of shillings into the club to help it stay afloat. A few weeks ago, Gillie had shared with Spice his intentions to open a theatre in Kisumu while washing hands off the management issues at LTC. According to the director of the Pete TV series Sharrif Mohammed, Gillie was full of kindness and easy to work with because of his charisma and always ready to better his performance. “I met Gillie at the Little Theater Club sometime back in 2008. I was a young actor trying to carve my destiny in the industry. So, when I got there, he was the first person I met. I explained myself to him and in his calm demeanour, he took me to Hillary Namanje. He did not have to do that; I was a young boy and as my elder, he could have just directed me to him. But no, he took me there and made sure I was assisted. He was full of life, eager to learn and down to earth. He did what he was told and owned it. In my eyes, he’s a true thespian of the art and a legend,” Sharrif told Spice. Loved like family Janet Chumbe, also a director of the TV series, shares that she and Gillie were colleagues at the LTC, until Pete came into being in 2018 when a friendship ensued, which grew to family. “Gillie was a gem. Soft spoken and a voice of reason. He always chose life because he did live; his positive approach to things was one of his best qualities. He always showed up when you needed him. On set, he was our daddy, and from that name, a lot of jokes and laughter were shared. Laugh your way to heaven daddy. You will be dearly missed,” she eulogised the fallen thespian. “I met Papa Gillie in 2013. We were doing a radio play by Well Told Stories, that used to air on Baraka FM. He was generous, friendly, and interacted with everyone in the team, both young and old. He was an erudite, free spirit, always ready to learn, and of course, he made work easier because he loved what he was doing. I celebrate a life well lived; an inspirational story of someone who enlightened people surrounding him, because Gillie was a giver. Indeed, heaven needed a hero (and) they picked Papa Gillie. In our hearts you remain,” said Pete production manager Regina Lewa. Aisha Mwajumla plays the role of Nimimi in the series. Although she had known Gillie at LTC before Pete, she shares that the man has had so much influence on her as an actor. “He was a kind and generous man. He also loved teamwork and was such a peaceful person. Not once did I see him have any friction with anyone. When he took up leadership, he led artists in a calm and peaceful way.He would emphasise on how much the place needed us as artists to continue standing. A good man has fallen. As a team as an industry, we have lost a good man. In my experience working with him, Gillie was disciplined,” she intimates. Pete producer Daudi Anguka found a gem when he found the perfect person in Gillie to fit in the role of Mzee Msiri in 2017. All his personal traits fit in with the person he needed to play this role. He says, “His traits were perfect for my character, so we shot our first pilot and we have been working together three years later. He was a dad figure; happy and reassuring just like his role in the series. He was as msiri to us as his team as he was in the role. He loved to perform to the last minute and as Pete team, we are grateful for the opportunity. In his role as Msiri, he is not supposed to die, but to ascend into the supernatural realm, and we choose to believe this is what has happened,” he shares. To his closest friends in the industry, he was a treasure that will forever remain closest to heart. “This man was an embodiment of what’s good with humanity and what is honourable with Mombasa and its art scene. I will miss him and our days of humour and wit, especially at the LTC where we always met for a couple of frothy drinks. May he Rest in Peace,” said actor Gitura Kamau. Fighter to the end Actor Dan Sonko says Gillie’s demise will not go in vain as he intends to continue his fight. “Gillie was a friend, brother, and confidant. We fought many battles both as allies and against each other, but we never lost sight of who we were to one another. I will not give my sentiments because Gillie’s spirit still lives. I will not speak of his accomplishments because they require an entire encyclopaedia and then some more,” said Dan. He added that Mombasa has no idea what it has lost through Gillie’s death. “So, I choose to stand and complete one of the biggest battles that we were hoping to win. We have lost a key player in the #SaveLTC fight. His demise, especially having come so close after Kuldip Sondhi, is something that has rocked us in a way I cannot aptly put in words. All I can say is I loved Gillie and I will ensure that which he fought to restore is accomplished. Only then will I find peace,” he said in conclusion.

Legend’s thespian Gilbert Owino

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