History judges harshly those who try to crush freedom of expression in children. The scenes fromButere High School this week were appalling. The poet in Pheroze Nowrejee, who died recently,would have been incensed. I also suspect, he would also have been deeply proud of the girls’principled stand.“Echoes of war” was a little-known play before the Butere High School Principal was instructed tostop her students from submitting it for this year’s Kenya Schools and Drama Festival. Set in thefictitious Velvet Emirates, Gen Z find their attempts to rescue a war-torn and divided kingdomthwarted at every turn by the older generation. The play powerfully adapts artistry, songs andmusic from last year’s Gen Z protests.If the attempt was to suppress the play’s message, it utterly backfired. A set of clumsy and thenviolent authoritarian actions has increased public interest ten-fold. According to courtproceedings, the play was adjudicated and approved to participate at sub-county, county andregional levels only for the School Principal to abruptly close the entire school of 1,642 studentsto deny 50 actors the opportunity to rehearse and perform.At this point, a ten-year old injustice, dramatically boomeranged. Anifa Mango, an alumni student-actor who had experienced the power of the High Court in stopping censorship of the “Shacklesof Doom” play in 2013 swung into action. The former student, now a millennial advocate marchedto court and secured court orders that the school be reopened, the Principal ignore externalpressure and the students perform the play in its original form.In a colossal overreach of state power, scores of police officers (curiously many brought in fromNairobi) teargassed children, assaulted journalists and arrested playwright and former SenatorCleophas Malala in violation of the court order. The festival organisers then scheduled the play toa time there was likely to be no audience.What the secondary students did next will inspire several generations of artists. Rather thanperform without their playwright, the actors stood together to sing the national anthem. Onestudent stepped forward to announce “Butere girls will stand strong, the message of Echoes ofWar shall find another platform. God bless Kenya,” and then, they all exited, stage left.The significance of a Millennial protecting Alphas inspired by Gen Z activism would not have beenlost on Pheroze Nowrejee. Pheroze (84) died this week on a visit to America. The author-poetand senior counsel impacted on four generations of friends, lawyers, judicial officers, human rightsdefenders, journalists, community organisers, medics, politicians among others. Their tributesonline sketch a life boldly lived and wisdom generously shared.Third generation Indian Kenyan and Yale University trained, Pheroze believed advocates mustchallenge misgovernance, corruption and impunity. Regardless of the topic, his arguments wereconsistently morally anchored in constitutional and rule of law principles. While he representedthe powerful and vulnerable with equal professionalism, he strongly believed victims of injusticedeserved his time most.In one of our very first encounters, he patiently listened to the 26-year-old Irungu speak of thepower of politics and politicians. He then interrupted to say very deliberately, “Politics is not aprofession. Seek a profession and then bring progressive politics to that space.” An irrepressibleoptimist, intense conversations with Pheroze often left me and many others with a renewed senseof clarity and agency.
