The image of chaos outside Kirobon Girls High School police sirens, clouds of teargas, and more than 50 heavily armed officers swarming former Senator Cleophas Malala is one our young girls will not forget any time soon.
On what was supposed to be a day of art, performance, and youthful creativity, the scene quickly turned into something resembling a battlefield.
Malala, who is known as the playwright and director of Echoes of War, had gone there to support Butere Girls High School as they prepared to perform his play.
The play, which had earlier been banned, was cleared by the courts, giving the green light for it to be performed again. But despite the court order, the state’s response was heavy-handed and loud.
Instead of letting the event proceed, police blocked Malala from entering the venue. A scuffle broke out. Journalists who were present ran for cover. National TV aired the dramatic events live as they unfolded in real time.
It is heartbreaking that students young girls were caught in the middle of this confrontation. While they were not the direct target, they saw everything.
They saw the panic. They saw the chaos. They saw fear. These girls had come to participate in a performance about civil liberties, the importance of youth leadership, and the power of resilience in hard times.
What they received instead was a real and frightening lesson in how the powerful sometimes respond to artistic expression not with support, but with fear and force.
This raises a serious question about the kind of society we are building for the next generation. What kind of message are we sending when creativity is answered with crackdowns?
Are we telling our children that speaking out or telling a difficult story through drama or music is a crime?
Echoes of War is a play that speaks to today’s youth a generation that is awake, aware, tech-savvy, and not afraid to demand better. Trying to silence them with threats or violence only strengthens their voice.
The truth is, we cannot claim to promote talent in schools and then punish children when they express themselves through art. We cannot talk about national values and at the same time traumatize learners who are only doing what we say we support.
The girls at Kirobon Girls and Butere Girls are not troublemakers. They are not rebels. They are young artists. They are bold storytellers. They are the future of our country, and they deserve to grow up in a society where expression is not a danger but a right.
