Tero Buru is a play that’s unique in its conception and marks the beginning of a long-term showcase celebrating the artistic legacy of Kenyan-born playwright, musician and spoken-word poet Beldina Odenyo. Creating art between the fields of music and theatre, Odenyo was named one of Scotland’s 30 most inspiring women under 30 in  2017, and established a mesmerising presence as a multidisciplinary artist, performing a contemporary fusion of jazz and folk music under the moniker Heir Of The Cursed. She also collaborated on plays such as the acclaimed Lament For Sheku Bayoh, Dear Europe and Blood, Salt, Spring while examining differences and kinship between her dual Kenyan and Scottish heritage through words, music and visual art.

The play she left behind, ​​​Tero Buru (named after a funeral ritual of the East African Luo people), explores history, ancestry, resilience and grief. Her sister, Leah McAleer, vividly recalls Odenyo’s urge to uncover their own lineage of creativity and to probe ideas of a liminal space between life and death. ‘I remember her excitement in finding out that our ancestors were storytellers, and that song was built into our DNA,’ says McAleer. ‘It explained a lot about who she was. Originally the play followed the generations of migration from North Africa to Scotland, yet at some point it changed. She anchored it into death rituals, working through her own experience and disconnection with grief, which has created this huge resonance in the play now. Then when she handed the baton over, we were tasked with looking back, retracing her steps and research.’

Central in the play are four women, summoned to the African continent to perform funeral rites for a loved one. While navigating grief in an unfamiliar cultural landscape, they develop their own language and rituals with which to guide the soul into its next state. Finding a world between the living and the dead, they engage with their spirituality and, in turn, discover deities which connect them to their ancestral home and to each other in sisterhood. Using movement and music in her storytelling, Odenyo weaves themes of rebirth into the narrative and asks audiences to embrace the solace found in words and the comfort of community.

Odenyo’s work has, in its own way, created a community through the same motifs. At her request, McAleer and director Julia Taudevin studied the playwright’s recordings, lyrics, compositions and notes after her passing to find the most fitting music, movement, poetry and dramatic monologues with which to bring the play to light and continue her legacy. In doing so, behind the scenes a parallel sisterhood emerged with its own rituals.

In McAleer and Taudevin’s working space, a collection of meaningful objects is an important feature of bringing ​​​Tero Buru to the stage. A large piece of obsidian rock from Kenya, sage bought for a birthday cleanse, a shell from one of Scotland’s beautiful beaches and pictures of Odenyo all stand as a monument and guide for the women. They keep her presence and humour in their minds and hearts as they build upon her instructions, taking themselves to a place where they can shift to a lighter mindset to take on such an emotionally demanding project. Emulating Odenyo’s ability to make art about dark and heavy subjects with a fiery and playful nature, the room is filled with creative discussion, often leading to laughter. They burn sage and shuffle one of Odenyo’s many playlists, letting her choose the tune of the day that they will share a moment of joy dancing to. And in the spirit of keeping her present, Odenyo’s voice also physically enters the world of Tero Buru through recordings.

‘Beldina’s voice features throughout. She plays a key character in the play, the ever-present character,’ says Taudevin. ‘And we’ve been on a journey with that, thinking “who is she? What is she? What’s she doing?” And we’ve reached a conclusion which feels very liberating. She is playing a role, the role of the Goddess. In the play, anything she sings or speaks is allocated to that role. So although we hear recordings of her voice, it is within the world of the play, so she’s slightly removed from the reality of her life. It’s quite a beautiful thing, I think, to have seen the journey that this play has been on and for her to now be performing.’

Odenyo’s presence also reaches into the play’s atmosphere, with former collaborators and musicians working to build on her existing compositions, and live singers furthering the sense of community so integral to these central themes. Tero Buru also reflects on the universal experience of grief, using tools of ritual which feel powerfully accessible and modern. The lighting and visuals include a literal fire pit, drums, textiles and red earth to create the worlds of the living, the long dead and recently departed in a way that feels bold yet restorative.

As the production grows, so does the embodiment of Odenyo’s creativity. Taudevin and McAleer light up as they talk about the vastly talented cast, especially the leading women, the sisters who represent Odenyo’s artistic forms.

From poet Hannah Lavery to vocal talent Kimberley Mandindo, and from award-winning choreographer Chinyanta Kabaso to rising theatre star Jamie Marie Leary, the perfect cast members seem to be drawn in by magic: as the creative team discussed dream hires, they would cross paths by chance with the right person or find powerful moments of artistic connection.

Reflecting on the experience, McAleer shows incredible strength in her own journey, and highlights the impact Odenyo had on those around her. ‘It’s been a joy and privilege to be closer to her again, to be back, to be working with her like that,’ she says. ‘It was hard, but it’s also amazing to have this play, and her album, and now material for a documentary about her life. I think those three elements will stand as a testament to what an incredible human and artist she still is.’

As the community come together to create an intimate portrait of grief, this multidimensional and fascinating production has grown to become more than a play; it’s a way to share Beldina Odenyo’s artistic legacy, which is not only still relevant, but only just beginning.

Tero Buru previews at Platform, Glasgow, Friday 15 & Saturday 16 November; the play’s full premiere is scheduled for early 2026; main picture: Mihaela Bodlovic.