If you attempt to suppress echoes, they rebound with greater force

Butere Girls High School students board the bus after they declined to perform Ehoes of War play during the 63rd edition of the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru, on April 10, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

I fell unconscious in the back of a police vehicle speeding stupidly over bumps blindly heading to an unknown dilapidated detention. My crime? Guiding the artistic expression of young minds, daring to hold a mirror to the realities of power through a school play. But even in that bewildering darkness, a fierce pride burned within me, a pride ignited by the very innocent and patriotic girls from Butere Girls High School.

These were not rebellious agitators; they were bright, dedicated students, rehearsing with passion and precision, their hearts set on victory at the drama festival. Their frustration, when their voices were almost stifled, their courage in the face of tear gas and intimidation, transformed them before our very eyes. They were no longer just schoolgirls; they became national heroines, their resilience a testament to the indomitable spirit of Kenyan youth.