Synopsis of Banned Play “Shackles of Doom” by Butere Girls High School.

[Mekatilili]

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Shackles of doom is about a community in search of black gold in a foreign land but later on cases of nepotism and tribalism ignites a conflict.

Shackles of Doom is a play that depicts the production of a film in Kanas, an impoverished country with large oil reserves that are yet to be exploited. The people of Kanas refer to themselves as the True Kanas and they languish in poverty unaware of the riches that flow in the ground beneath their feet.

Lopush who is a True Kana is in search of a bride and his prayers are answered when a delegation from a neighboring country arrives in Kana and offers him a beautiful lady, Wamaitha, to be his wife. The delegation asks for the True Kana's land as bride price and promises to build them an oil refinery to foster the relationship between the two countries. What Lopush does not know is that his bride is 3 weeks pregnant and Kimani, who claims to be her guardian, is the father.

The oil refinery is constructed and during the hiring process, none of the the True Kanas clinch administrative positions. Kimani is appointed the CEO of the refinery and the highest ranked True Kana in the refinery is a security guard.

On the eve of Lopush and Wamaitha's wedding, Kimani has an order of 600 barrels of oil and orders all the factory employees to work the day and night shifts to fulfill the order. Lopush is not spared either and is forced to work as the security guard.

The employees are hard at work when Kimani sneaks away to Lopush's house and tries to talk Wamaitha into having sex with him before she is married off and an argument ensues between the two.

Lopush defies Kimani's orders and leaves the refinery before dawn to prepare for his wedding and walks in on Kimani and Wamaitha.

Wamaitha is at pains to prove that she did not fornicate with Kimani. A crowd gathers and just as they were about to descend on Kimani, news of a fire at the oil refinery reaches them. Lopush had left with the keys to the installation and he is needed to aid in the evacuation process. The villagers rush to scene of the accident only to find that the whole refinery and its occupants had burned to the ground. A "technical glitch" is blamed for the horrific accident.

"CUT" yells the film director, signifying the end of the shooting. A cast member points out that the film has no credible resolution. Her suggestion is an ending where all communities at peace, there is harmony, truth, justice and equitable distribution of resources. The cameras are still rolling as the cast member makes her plea but in full glare of the camera the director declares his resolution was credible!

SYNOPSIS OF THE BANNED PLAY "SHACKLES OF DOOM" | MY254

 

[Mekatilili]

[video=youtube_share;O392xb9OwK4]http://youtu.be/O392xb9OwK4[/video]

 

[mfianchi]

Don Corleone

 

[Dr. Job]

[h=1]‘Shackles of Doom' for play on sharing of natural wealth[/h]
By NATION TEAM newsdesk@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, April 4 2013 at 21:00
In Summary

• Renowned scriptwriter cries foul after his award-winning drama is locked out of the national contest despite topping charts at zonal and regional levels of competition

A delegation arrives to their land and offers a beautiful lady called Wamaitha, to be married off to Lopush, who is a ‘Kana' in exchange of a piece of land where they can settle.

Wamaitha is three weeks pregnant when the delegation comes knocking, and Kimani who is purported to be her guardian is responsible for it.

Wamaitha is married off against her will.

Her community, with great determination and strong will, construct the "Mafuta Oil Refinery Company".

Hiring at the company is biased and based on nepotism. The ‘Kanas' demand equal opportunities, but only one of their own is considered for a watchman post.

Then nepotism and unequal distribution of resources sets the two communities against each other, degenerating into a full-blown confrontation that leads to death.

Mr Malala says he was inspired by the unequal distribution of resources in the country and the attention given to Turkana after the discovery of oil, yet the area has been marginalised ever since.

"When other plays are done with styles borrowed from other communities, there is never a problem. If they want us to replace the imagery, names and sayings it is fine," he says.

Kakamega County drama secretary Wycliffe Indakwa expressed sadness following the ban.

He said they were committed to ensuring the play was polished as a work of art as opposed to activism.

Mr Malala says he developed the play on the understanding that Literature mirrors the society and his work should be appreciated.

He cited an audit by the Commission for Integration and National Cohesion (NCIC) on distribution of public appointments which showed glaring inequalities in public jobs.

"I am just replaying what happens in our society and even NCIC knows that, so what is my sin?" he wonders.

The Kenya National Drama Festival begins in Mombasa on April 15.

Reports by Gibendi Ramenya, Daniel Otieno and Anthony Njagi

‘Shackles of Doom’ for play on sharing of natural wealth - News - nation.co.ke

 

[Ab-Titchaz]

Don Corleone

Nimependa hii habari leo...


Court unshackles Butere Girls' play

By George Orido and Isaiah Lucheli

Nairobi, Kenya: Joy met a High Court ruling Wednesday that a ban on Shackles of Doom by Butere Girls be quashed and that the girls present the play at the ongoing Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival in Mombasa.

Principal Dorah Okalla could not express her delight enough and said she was very happy for her girls.

"Even if it means flying the young actresses there, I will," she said as she reached out to parents to have the girls who are home on recess sent to meet at the school today.

On Wednesday, the High Court in Nairobi gave Butere Girls' green light to stage the controversial play, which depicts unequal distribution of resources and dominance of Government positions by the main ethnic groups.

The Ministry of Education and the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama Festivals had banned it on grounds it stirred hate and ethnic tension. It was observed the play was performed at the zonal, district, county, regional, and the provincial Gala levels where it was judged the best by panels that comprised three Ministry of Education adjudicators.

High Court Judge David Majanja ordered Education PS to accommodate the play in the drama festivals, which enters its third day today. Majanja also directed the ministry to bear the cost of transporting the students to Mombasa in order to allow them participate in the competition.

The judge directed State counsel Samuel Kubamba, who represented the PS, to file documents in court if the ministry felt that the play should not be staged.
Human rights activist Okiya Omtata moved to the High Court seeking to have the ban on the play lifted.

Omtata, through lawyer Ishmael Nguiring'a under certificate of urgency, had submitted that the banning of the play was unprocedural and was taken unilaterally by the Ministry of Education without reference to the National Drama Committee.

Freedom of expression

Omutata had wanted the court to issue orders directing the Attorney General and the ministry to stop gagging freedom of expression and artistic talent nurtured by academic institutions.

"The National Drama Committee ought to have deliberated the issue, and then sought the intervention of the courts or quasi-judicial bodies established for such purposes or related purposes. The first and second respondents have never watched the play being staged," he said.

Omtata also submitted that if the ministry wishes to censure plays, it ought to establish a proper censorship board, and the exercise should be done before schools invest time, money and other resources in productions.

The activist wanted the court to order the play staged at the national concert in Mombasa beginning today in its original version.He submitted that the Ministry of Education had unlawfully disqualified Butere Girls' High School from participating at the 2013 National Drama Festivals.

He added that in order to safeguard the Constitution and to protect the rights of the students, teachers and other members of Butere Girls' High School, of the playwright, and of the public keen to watch the play, it was imperative the application be heard and determined as a matter of urgency. Yesterday, The Standard caught up with Festival Executive Secretary Khaemba Sirengo, who had issued the ban three weeks ago, who said the Drama Executive Committee was ready to host the play.

Tentative schedule

Consultations between Khaemba's office and the school production team has agreed on a tentative schedule of the last item on Sunday at Aga Khan High School Hall, Mombasa.

And the playwright at the centre of the controversy, Cleophas Malalah, described the ruling as a new dawn for Kenyan drama. "It is the end of impunity and no one again will wake up one morning to ban a piece of art without following due process,' he said. Malalah said he was particularly happy that the ruling was a victory for the school girls who had given their all for the production.

"We have not been rehearsing but we want to take the shortest time to prepare them since we are alive to the enormous pressure now on our shoulders," he said.

Chairman of the Nairobi Metropolitan Drama Committee Kennedy Buhere said the ruling had offered the young artistes chance to be watched by Kenyans.

"I had only seen snippets of it on Youtube and now I will have the opportunity to see it so that I can have a critical appreciation of it.

Director and producer David Isindu said it was unfortunate that the case had to reach the level it did adding that: "We should have conflict resolution mechanisms so that an issue of this nature does not reach the High Court." Many in Mombasa received the news. It is believed demand to watch Shackles of Doom will be high at the festival. Plans are underway to sell the tickets going for Sh100 on a first come-first serve basis.

Shackles of Doom depicts a film shot in the land of Kanas. These are people with rich cultural heritage spanning years into pre-history who refer to themselves as the True Kanas. For lack of technological knowhow, they are oblivious of riches beneath their land in form of oil deposits.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?art...tle=Kenya-Court-unshackles-Butere-Girls’-play