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.
Echoes of War is set in a fictional kingdom where the youth have lost faith in their leaders.
It features battles with the police and has drawn parallels with last year’s protests by young people against tax rises.
It was initially disqualified from the drama festival under unclear circumstances, but a High Court ruling overturned the decision and ordered it to be included.
Tensions flared in the western town of Nakuru on Thursday morning when the student performers stormed out of the venue, demanding the release of the play’s author, Cleophas Malala, who had been detained by police.
The scriptwriter and former senator who had penned the production for students from Butere Girls High School, was blocked by police from meeting the young performers 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.
“I wonder why a politician should be a script writer for a student performance. Even the competition loses value if we do not allow the teachers to be scriptwriters,” Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said, warning politicians against using innocent students to settle their political scores. —BBC
