Butere Girls' drama festival protest: No performance, just a powerful anthem
According to the students, they had neither seen their play directors nor had they rehearsed in the last three weeks.
The much-anticipated performance of the "Echoes of War" play by Butere Girls was abruptly halted on Thursday morning, following a series of setbacks that left the students unable to perform.
The play production, which had already been the center of controversy earlier in the week, was scheduled for an 8 am showing but was thwarted when the students were denied access to the public address system that has been used in the National Drama Festivals.
This left the young performers unable to showcase their work to the audience, forcing them to abandon their play altogether and instead sing the National Anthem before exiting the stage in tears.
The students, disheartened by the turn of events, expressed their frustrations over the lack of preparation and support.
According to them, they had neither seen their play directors nor had they rehearsed in the last three weeks.
In addition to these challenges, they also faced the absence of an audience, further complicating their situation.
The play, which deals with the themes of Kenya’s governance and the 2024 Gen Z-led protests, had already attracted significant attention when it was disqualified from the Western Region Drama Festivals under mysterious circumstances.
However, a subsequent High Court ruling overturned that decision and ordered the play’s inclusion in the national lineup.
Despite the legal victory, Echoes of War continued to attract controversy.
On Wednesday, the play's scriptwriter, Cleophas Malala, was barred from entering the festival venue at Kirobon Girls High School in Nakuru.
At one point, Malala, a former senator, alleged that his vehicle had been blocked by police and that they were threatening to arrest him.
The situation escalated by Thursday evening when police fired teargas canisters at journalists who had gathered to cover the ongoing standoff outside the school.
Furthermore, media coverage of the event was severely restricted, with journalists and the public prohibited from entering the venue.
The KICD team and other media partners who were expected to cover the festival were told to pack up their equipment, with no permission granted for video or photography.