There’s a little piece of Italy wandering the streets of Ngara, in Nairobi, these days. He doesn’t speak with a Tuscan accent or wear a straw hat, but he has a long nose, a curious spirit, and a history spanning more than a century of literature. His name is Pinocchio.

Through March 26, the spaces at Visit Ngara, at Shah House, are hosting the exhibition “Dearest Pinocchio: Italian Designers and Graphic Artists Redesign the World’s Most Famous Puppet,” an international project celebrating Italian creativity and paying tribute to the character born from the pen of Carlo Collodi.

The initiative was organized by the Italian Embassy in Kenya, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Nairobi and the ICE office, and coincides with two events dedicated to contemporary creativity: Design Week in Italy and Nairobi Design Week, thus creating an ideal bridge between Italian design and the creative scene of East Africa, in line with the collaborations and cross-pollination also promoted by the Mattei Plan for Africa.

But on Sunday, March 22, something special will happen: the wooden puppet will not remain motionless among the works of art. It will move.

Starting at 11:30 a.m., a dance performance inspired by the famous story will take place within the exhibition. For a few minutes, the characters from the fairy tale will come to life through body language: Jiminy Cricket, the Blue Fairy, and of course the most famous puppet in literature.

The performance will last about 25 minutes and will be repeated three times throughout the day: at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.

The show will transform the exhibition space into a small theater stage, where the world imagined by Collodi will take shape through music, movement, and storytelling. An event designed to engage adults and children alike on a journey through theater, art, and imagination.

After all, the story of Pinocchio has always been a story of movement: of falls and escapes, of mistakes and discoveries. Just like the moment in the book when the puppet first discovers the joy of running: “As soon as they made my feet, I immediately began to run and jump around the room.”

The exhibition also takes place within the context of celebrations marking the bicentennial of the birth of Carlo Collodi, author of “The Adventures of Pinocchio,” one of the most translated and beloved books in children’s literature.

The exhibition features 31 three-dimensional reinterpretations of the famous puppet created by Italian designers, accompanied by 31 graphic posters dedicated to the character.

The result is a surprising gallery: Pinocchio becomes a sculpture, a design object, a graphic icon, or a pop figure. A creative mosaic that tells not only the story of the puppet but also the ability of Italian design to continually reinvent the symbols of its own culture.

It is no coincidence that some like to say that Geppetto, the carpenter who builds the puppet, was, after all, the first Italian designer: a craftsman who manages to bring a living idea to life from a piece of wood.

To attend the dance performance, you must register in advance by selecting the showtime you wish to attend.

Registration can be completed online via the form available on the official channels of the Italian Cultural Institute in Nairobi.

Seats are limited, so advance registration is recommended. To register, visit THIS LINK and follow the instructions.

Throughout the day, you can also visit the exhibition, open daily until March 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Visit Ngara – Shah Houses.

A Sunday a little different from the usual, where a 19th-century Italian fairy tale comes to life, speaking and dancing in the heart of Nairobi. Because some stories, just like the most stubborn puppets, keep walking on their own even hundreds of kilometers from home.