Butere Girls' bold stand, tears of triumph after refusing to stage Echoes of War without audience
With tears in their eyes, they sang the national anthem, the only message they felt they could send to the government before running off the stage, still crying as they made their exit.
The much-anticipated performance by Butere Girls High School at the National Drama and Film Festivals came to an unexpected halt on Thursday morning after the students decided not to perform their play titled Echoes of War.
Around 8 am on Thursday, the girls took to the stage at the festival's venue in Nakuru, visibly shaken and emotional.
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As the bell rang, they lined up in front of the audience, some in their uniforms, others not even stepping onto the stage.
The lead student stepped forward and delivered a heartfelt speech, explaining the frustration and hardship they had faced.
"We don’t have an audience," she said.
The girls, who had not trained for the last three weeks, had barely slept and hadn't seen their directors, were left with no choice but to declare that they could not go on with the performance.
With tears in their eyes, they sang the national anthem, the only message they felt they could send to the government before running off the stage, still crying as they made their exit.
The students’ decision to decline performing Echoes of War, a play that had already been surrounded by controversy, was a direct response to the series of setbacks they had endured in the lead-up to the festival.
The play, which delves into Kenya's governance and the Gen Z-led protests of 2024, was expected to make waves in the competition.
Left unsupported
However, the girls had been left unsupported, unable to practice, and deprived of the tools they needed to deliver a meaningful performance.
This turn of events follows a troubled history surrounding the play. Originally disqualified from the Western Region drama festivals under unclear circumstances, the play was later reinstated by a High Court ruling, ensuring its place in the national line-up.
Yet, despite this victory, more controversy ensued when the scriptwriter, Cleophas Malala, was blocked from entering the festival venue at Kirobon Girls High School in Nakuru on Wednesday.
Malala, a former senator, claimed that police had blocked his vehicle and threatened to arrest him, adding fuel to the fire surrounding the event.
Locked out
On Thursday morning, journalists and attendees were informed that no cameras, including those for live streaming, would be allowed at the venue.
The restrictions, announced on the fourth day of the festival, led to the KICD's Edu TV halting all media coverage of the event.
This move came just as the Butere Girls’ performance, which had been delayed from its original 6:15 am time to 7:30 am, was about to take place.
The restrictions added to the growing sense of tension, with the festival becoming a focal point of public criticism.
The play's disqualification and the media clampdown were seen by many as attempts to suppress free expression, particularly given the play’s sensitive subject matter focusing on Kenya’s governance and the youth-led protests of 2024.
The situation reached a boiling point late Wednesday when Malala was prevented from entering the venue to conduct final rehearsals with the students.
By 5 pm that day, he reported that police had blocked his vehicle and that they were threatening to arrest him. The escalating tension culminated later that evening when police used tear gas to disperse journalists who had gathered outside the school to cover the unfolding drama.
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