My Media Journey

    CHURCH AND POLITICS: AN ANCIENT ALLIANCE IN MODERN CRISIS Commentary By Isaac Kirigwi It has often been said, especially by politicians, that church and politics should remain separate. Yet history paints a very different picture. From the coronation of Roman emperors to present-day Kenyan campaign trails, the relationship between religious institutions and political power has always been deeply intertwined. The question is not whether church and state are connected; it’s how they choose to navigate that connection, and at what cost. The union of church and state can be traced back to the Roman Empire. When Emperor Constantine, the first Christian ruler of Rome, ascended to power, he declared Christianity the official religion of the empire. This declaration ended decades of persecution against Christians and brought religious freedom to the followers of Christ. But it did not end there. Under Constantine’s rule, religious leaders were granted political power and p...

  "Silencing the Stage: Why Echoes of War Must Be Heard"   Commentary by Isaac Kirigwi The public uproar sparked by Echoes of War , the now-iconic play by Butere Girls High School, is more than just a school drama controversy, it is an event in the long, global tradition of governments clashing with artists who dare to speak truth to power. Just as drama evolved from sacred rituals in ancient Greece into a tool for confronting political and social realities, so too has Echoes of War become a modern expression of resistance and reflection within the Kenyan context. Drama has always carried weight beyond the stage. From Aeschylus to Shakespeare, from Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o to the schoolgirls of Butere, theatre has served as both a mirror and a megaphone. In ancient Greece, playwrights used tragedy to critique leadership and question divine justice. In Elizabethan England, theatre navigated censorship while delivering biting commentary about power, class, and human folly. In po...