Ruth Wanyange

Community has been the lifeblood of this movement, binding us in ways that go beyond political unrest. From memes that gave us relief amid despair to cultural  events honoring the fallen, art became both a balm and a battle cry. Musicians turned grief into protest anthems, plays like Too Early for Birds rekindled our collective memory of resistance, and poets gave words to our shared frustrations. 

And yet, caring even more is what we must continue to do, if any of this is to stop. The only way we knew who was being taken was because we were documenting it, and their names, online and offline, constantly. The only way we were writing against these bills, whether or not they were enforced and implemented, was caring enough to write templates and become our mothers and aunties, sending it to any WhatsApp group that would listen.