Echoes of War: Butere Girls School play angers Kenyan government
Kenya's national high-school drama competition has been overshadowed by drama of its own after police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that had gathered to watch a controversial play.The play, Echoes of War, highlights the role of digital spaces in governance and the power of youth in shaping societal change - with close parallels to Kenya's current political situation. It was initially disqualified from the drama festival under unclear circumstances, but a High Court ruling later overturned the decision and ordered it to be included.Tensions flared in the western town of Nakuru on Thursday morning when students stormed out of the venue, demanding the release of the play's author.
Cleophas Malala, the scriptwriter and a former senator who penned the production for students from Butere Girls School, was blocked by police from meeting the students for final rehearsals on Wednesday evening.Malala was later released without charge and praised the students for boycotting the play. "The young girls of Butere Girls' have exercised an act of heroic restoration. I'm determined to ensure that Echoes of War is displayed before a Kenyan audience," Malala said immediately after his release. The students briefly sang the national anthem before dramatically leaving the hall, which was sealed off by anti-riot police, armed with batons and tear gas canisters. "There's no audience. Who are we performing for?" one of the girls told journalists. They also complained about police harassment. Following news of Malala's arrest, large crowds had gathered outside the venue curious to watch the play.But anti-riot police had been deployed overnight in case of trouble and they fired tear gas to disperse the would-be audience.Education Minister Julius Ogamba questioned the involvement of Malala in the competition, saying the politician was neither a teacher nor a play director. The row has sparked public uproar, with rights group Amnesty International saying it was "pointing to a worrying pattern of state-sponsored repression of free expression, press freedom, and the right to associate".Prominent opposition figure Kalonzo Musyoka condemned the police for firing tear gas near students, praising the "brave" girls for declining to perform. In a statement, the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) demanded that the students be allowed to stage their play like all the other competitors. The play highlights a widening gap between two generations - the old and the young - demanding change through innovation and technology.It reflects some of Kenya's most pressing problems, some of which sparked youth-led deadly protests last year.
You may also be interested in:
New faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionariesKenyan president's humbling shows power of African youthBatons, tear gas, live fire - Kenyans face police brutalityHow Kenya's evangelical president has fallen out with churches
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
10 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Dale Vince's High Court claim against Daily Mail publisher thrown out
Mr Vince brought legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over an article headlined 'Labour repays £100,000 to sex pest donor', published in June 2023. The story reported that the Labour Party was handing back money to donor Davide Serra with a picture showing Mr Vince holding a Just Stop Oil banner. This picture, published in print and on The Mail+ app, was changed to one of Mr Serra online 47 minutes after publication, while the original picture of Mr Vince remained in the print version. An employment tribunal in 2022 heard Mr Serra had made sexist comments to a female colleague which were found to amount to unlawful harassment related to sex. Mr Vince claimed ANL misused his personal data and that the publication of his photograph with this story would lead readers to believe he had been accused of sexual harassment. ANL had defended the claim, with its lawyers previously telling the High Court in London that it was an abuse of process and a 'resurrection' of a libel claim that was dismissed last year. In a judgment on Monday, a High Court judge threw out the data protection claim. Mr Justice Swift said: 'There is no real prospect that Mr Vince will succeed on his claim. 'As in the defamation proceedings, it is accepted that on reading the text of the article published in Mail+ and the Daily Mail any ordinary reader would very quickly realise that Mr Vince was not being accused of sexual harassment. 'Considered on this basis the personal data relating to Mr Vince was processed fairly.' He said there was 'every reason' why the data protection claim should have been heard with the defamation claim last year. 'Both claims arose out of the same event, the publication of the article in Mail+ and the Daily Mail,' he added. 'Both claims rely on the same factual circumstances, namely the juxtaposition of the headline, photographs and caption, and the contention that the combination of the headline and the photograph created the misleading impression that Mr Vince had been accused of sexual harassment.' Following the decision, Mr Vince said he planned to appeal. He said: 'What we're dealing with here is a media law that predates the internet. Think about that. Essentially, UK law says that people read entire articles and not just headlines. 'We all know this is untrue, the internet has changed everything, modern attention spans are famously small and shrinking, dwell times on articles are measured in seconds and media organisations have an abundance of data on this.' He continued: 'The judge said if you read the whole story, you'd realise the headline was not about me, begging the question why was my face highlighted in the articles perhaps. 'But more importantly, people don't read entire articles, the law assumes it – but does so wrongly, against all data and against common sense.'
ITV News
a day ago
- ITV News
Trump's new travel ban set to come in to effect on Monday
President Trump's new travel ban is set to come in to effect on Monday, restricting travel to the US from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries. The move comes amid growing tensions in the US as Donald Trump continues delivering on his election promise to increase immigration enforcement. The order banning travel from certain countries was signed by Trump on Wednesday and applies to citizens from: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also increases travel restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the US and don't hold a valid visa. Mohammad Sharafoddin, his wife and young son walked at times for 36 hours in a row over mountain passes as they left Afghanistan as refugees. They had hoped to one day bring their niece to the US to join them - from Monday that will no longer be possible as Afghanistan joins a list of 12 countries restricted from travelling to America. 'It's kind of shock for us when we hear about Afghanistan, especially right now for ladies who are affected more than others with the new government,' Mohammad Sharafoddin said, referring to the country's Taliban rulers. 'We didn't think about this travel ban.' The new ban does not revoke visas previously issued to people from countries on the list, according to guidance issued Friday to all US diplomatic missions. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the U.S. even after the ban takes effect. Many immigration experts say the new ban is designed to beat any court challenge by focusing on the visa application process and appears more carefully crafted than a hastily written executive order during Trump's first term that denied entry to citizens of mainly Muslim countries. "We don't want them," says Donald Trump as he signs the travel restrictions executive order. In a video posted Wednesday on social media, Trump said nationals of countries included in the ban pose 'terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. He also said some of these countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their citizens. Trump also tied the new ban to a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. The man charged in the attack is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. US officials say he overstayed a tourist visa. The ban was quickly denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, a nonprofit international relief organisation. Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro's government condemned the travel ban, characterizing it in a statement as a 'stigmatization and criminalization campaign' against Venezuelans.
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- South Wales Argus
British ‘service person' arrested in Kenya over rape allegation
The alleged rape happened last month close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk), near the town Nanyuki, and the man was arrested after a group of soldiers visited a bar in the area, the BBC reports. It comes after the body of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, who was allegedly murdered by a British soldier, was found in a septic tank at a Kenyan hotel, close to a British Army base, two months after she disappeared in March 2012. On Sunday, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'We can confirm the arrest of a service person in Kenya. 'As the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we will not comment further.' The rape allegations come after Defence Secretary John Healey met Ms Wanjiru's family in April. They said they had been subject to 'too many empty promises' regarding investigations into her death and that they were 'grateful' for the visit. According to the Sunday Times, a soldier had allegedly confessed to Ms Wanjiru's killing and another soldier reported it to senior officers at the time – but no action was taken. Defence Secretary John Healey recently met with the family of Agnes Wanjiru, who was found dead in Kenya in 2012 (PA) In a report in 2021, the newspaper said a soldier accused of the murder had been named by his comrades. In April, Mr Healey said the Government would continue to help Ms Wanjiru's family 'secure the justice they deserve', and stressed his 'determination to see a resolution to the still unresolved case'. The Army has launched a service inquiry (SI) into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by UK service personnel in Kenya violating sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) policy which was introduced in July 2022. It is believed the aim is to understand the nature of allegations made regarding sexual exploitation and abuse, which includes Army culture and possible contact with sex workers. The SI can make recommendations to ensure that SEA policy is being complied with by UK personnel in Kenya. A MoD spokesman said: 'The Defence Secretary recently visited Kenya to highlight our bilateral partnership and the important role of the British military presence – and personnel – in Kenya. He also clearly set out the high standards of behaviour we expect of our all our personnel. 'All soldiers who visit or train at Batuk have clear direction about how to behave, on and off duty, must complete mandatory training and attend compulsory briefings on conduct. We will have zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour. 'To ensure the highest possible standards, the Army has launched a comprehensive service inquiry into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by UK Service Personnel in Kenya which would violate MoD and Army policy.'
