Set at a prestigious university, Acrimony Unquenched is a tragic play that follows the aftermath of a fiercely contested student election that ends with the murder of a brilliant female student.
Presented by the Technical University of Kenya’s drama club Basement, the play is staged on July 11 at the university in Nairobi.
Rachel (Amanda Nerima) is a university student from a humble background who is contesting a student leadership seat. In pursuit of campaign funding, she asks for financial support from her lover Mr Mipango (Dominic Mtemi), a powerful figure, while in a relationship with his son. Every time Mr Mipango tries to make the relationship intimate, she avoids it.
This ends up in her death, charging up a group of female students to launch an underground campaign against femicide to fight for justice for Rachel.
Nerima says that stepping into the role is more than an acting opportunity.
The fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Public Health student says the character resonated with her because of her commitment to advocating for women.
“I’m a feminist, and I've always stood up for women. That's what drew me to Rachel. She is firm and tactical. She needs campaign money, not because she wants a relationship with Mipango,” she says.
Coming from a poor background, Rachel can’t keep asking her parents for money; therefore, she gets into a relationship with Mipango. When Mipango realises she won’t agree to his sexual requests and discovers that she’s dating his son, anger takes over.
Taking on Rachel was initially a challenging experience; she reveals that she almost backed off, but through the guidance of director Pish Kago, she grew so much as an actor. She also prepared to play the role by immersing herself in real-life stories of women killed through femicide.
While portraying the role didn’t change her views on violence against women, it strengthened the urgency of the issue. She says it symbolises every woman who has succumbed to femicide, and every family going through that pain deserves justice.
“I researched women who have lost their lives and realised how long justice can take, and sometimes it never comes. It made me realise we're still very far from ending femicide," she says.
Playwright Emmanuel Chindia says he chose a university setting for it depicts what many young women go through today. The recent femicide of university students, Alice Riang’a and Connie Githinji, was painfully clear that young female students are prime targets.
He intends to remind university and college students to watch out for each other and to do whatever it takes to end the pattern of violence against young women.
The play examines how institutions can prioritise protecting their reputations over safeguarding students, challenging audiences to tackle the culture of silence and complicity that allows gender-based violence to persist.
He says exploring institutional accountability was important because it's about making systems better so that justice becomes easier to access.
“I believe we need our universities and colleges to create safe spaces for open conversations, to allow art that confronts these tough truths, and to provide real support like hotlines and resources for students in danger,” he says.
The play further challenges this culture of silence by showing that everyone can champion against femicide.
“This isn’t about pointing fingers at men or women. It’s about calling on all of us, regardless of gender, to speak up, check on each other and refuse to look away,” he says.
His research combined documentaries, news reports and public opinion polls. However, the most valuable research came from having candid conversations with the cast and crew that brought the reality closer than any article ever could. While facts mattered, hearing people speak honestly about the experiences made the play feel real.
Acrimony Unquenched is inspired by a play of the same title by Chris Malcom for the Kenya National Drama and Film Festivals, who also created the female students leading the underground campaign.
Chindia says he wanted to honour their courage for refusing to stay silent despite the risks they face. Their strength reflects the determination of many women fighting for justice today.
He adds that every character draws from real experiences, representing victims, advocates and communities affected by femicide.
"Rachel represents every woman whose life has been cut short by gender-based violence. She carries the dreams that were stolen and reminds us that behind every statistic is a person, a family and a community left grieving," he says.
The title, he says, represents grief and anger that never fades. He explains that it represents the painful reality that femicide keeps happening repeatedly and that grief turns into a raw, burning ache that never really heals. The title, therefore, is his way of saying that femicide is still happening and people need to stand up for women.
With reported cases of gender-based violence continuing to rise, Chindia believes the play could not be more timely; thus, he hopes Acrimony Unquenched will tour schools and universities across the country to challenge audiences to become active participants in preventing gender-based violence and recognise it as a societal crisis that has no justification.
He hopes they question harmful attitudes and have difficult conversations.
“I hope the play teaches men to handle anger and accept rejection. The biggest takeaway is the hope that one day we can end femicide,” Nerima says.
Photos: Courtesy