Echoes of War: What Made Malala’s Butere School Play So Controversial?
Former UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala has sparked national debate following the controversy surrounding his play, Echoes of War. The script, slated for performance by students of Butere Girls High School, has triggered a chain of unexpected and dramatic events.
Following the viral circulation of the play, Malala—its author—was taken into custody. His arrest prompted immediate backlash from the Butere Girls drama team, who staged a protest and refused to perform until their director was released.
But what exactly is the play about?
Echoes of War, obtained exclusively by Independent.co.ke, is a bold, hyperbolic portrayal of the deepening rift between two generations: the old guard rooted in tradition, and the youth advocating for change through innovation.
Set in the fictional Royal Velvet Emirates, the play examines a society teetering on the edge of collapse. It paints a vivid picture of generational tension—between those clinging to legacy and those pushing for transformation. While fictional, the themes and tone of the work strongly mirror Kenya’s contemporary political and social landscape.
At the heart of the narrative is Mustafa, a fourth-year IT student whose groundbreaking telemedicine app earns praise from the ruling Sultan. However, his fortunes shift when controversial social media posts from his past resurface. Mustafa’s struggle is supported by his mother, a character who passionately champions his rights and freedom.
The antagonist, Sultan, is portrayed as a ruler threatened by youthful dissent and constrained by conservative pressures. As the story progresses, he orders Mustafa’s execution, setting off a chain reaction.
This act ignites a digital revolution led by the enigmatic Anifa Imana—an embodiment of artificial intelligence. Anifa becomes the voice of the resistance, leveraging social media to rally support, spread disinformation, and mobilize mass protests in a bid to save Mustafa and expose the ruling class’s duplicity.
Another key character, a police officer later revealed to be Anifa’s father, begins the play aligned with the regime. However, after personally suffering under Sultan’s rule, he resigns and joins the resistance.
The story unfolds amidst emotional family dynamics, widespread civil unrest, and cultural rigidity. Thematically, the play grapples with intergenerational mistrust, innovation versus tradition, the role of social media, justice, and ultimately, reconciliation.
What makes the play particularly controversial are its provocative quotes and unapologetic tone. One notable line from Anifa reads, “While others were busy bombing buildings, he was busy bombing me.”
Another striking monologue declares:
“This is a generational war. A war against authorities who have turned a deaf ear to our cries. A war against our own parents, who cling to their rigid ways… A war against a society that brands us as a rotten generation… A war against the religious leaders who chain our modern minds.”
As the narrative concludes, both generations come to a painful but necessary realization: societal collapse is too high a price for division. In the final scene, the Sultan proclaims:
“Never again shall we dance to the… ECHOES OF WAR…”—signaling peace and a hopeful end to the intergenerational struggle.
In Other News: Malala Raises Alarm Over 15 Missing Butere Girls After Drama Festival Incident
Echoes of War: What Made Malala’s Butere School Play So Controversial?
