I Left My Abusive Marriage at 25… 16 Years Later, I’m Finally Telling My Story | Gathoni

I cannot alter this history about myself. But one of the things I know that holds us back when we're being abused is, and especially if you're married, you have a child, is what are people going to say? Now I've become a single mother. There's all of these things that are going on in your head. But I'll tell you this, anyone... People, first of all, will always say something about you. You cannot live your life thinking about what people are going to say about you or what people are going to think. The only person who matters is you. Sase ni mkofiti, welcome back for another exciting episode. I am so grateful for you guys always engaging with us. As I said, I am just a girl who is learning and unlearning so many things, so many things in this life. So welcome to my YouTube channel. My name is Celeste Ndinda. I am your host and today with me I have a producer. She is a producer. We are talking about the Kenya theatre film. So today I have a guest on set who is going to take us through her journey and also share with us what she has like. What she has created for us or what she is doing for us. What she wants us to see. Because most of these people are very creative storytellers. Thank I'm sure I'm Kimoana, I'm going to introduce you. Yeah, so, welcome Gathoni. Thank you so much, thank you for having me. you Please introduce yourself to our audience. Hi guys, my name is Gathoni Kemoyo, I'm a producer of theatre and film and a storyteller. very Wow, your intro is very brief. We could be here all day. much. I'm a voice artist, I'm a mother, I'm an influencer, and I'm a culture shaper. Wow, a culture shaper. Yes. Thank you so much. So, I want us to dive deep, like to go straight into it. The Kenya film, the Kenya theater. How many years have you been into? 16 years this year. We are so young. Yes. 16. 16, yeah. Almost becoming an adult. Yes. But you are 18. Yes, my child, literally. My child is 16. Oh, that's when you started? Yes. Oh, wow. Yeah, with Mata Cherry in 2010. Wow. Yeah. I was only 16 years. Yeah. I'd love to ask you my first question, like, itunia, off the hook. Yeah. What is that one thing that people think about theatre people that is not true? Um, that we're cheap, cheap, like in terms of money, because every time people think about theater, a lot of people call them skits, but they're full on productions. They're not skits. Yeah. And a lot of people just call them skits. And a lot of people have not gone to see theater beyond and especially the bigger mass of Kenya. The people who are consuming Kenyan music in a large way are not necessarily the same people coming to see theater. A lot of people haven't gone to see theater beyond the place they saw in high school, so they don't know what the infrastructure looks like. But Kenyan theater is such a big deal. Why do you think we haven't done that? Because it makes sense. You've said beyond what we had in high school. Yes. We are many. Guilty as charged. I'm trying. But you said high school was a lot. After that, it's like we stopped. It's like we didn't have theater. Why do you think it's so? So two things I'd say. Okay. Theater hasn't been marketed so hard like the rest of the things, the way the rest of the things have been marketed. But the reason why the theater hasn't been marketed that hard is because if we are not selling tickets, then we can't afford to market as hard. Mm-hmm. But we are marketing now. And then for a long time, a lot of our shows, theater shows that used to show were adaptations. They were not original Kenyan works. But since 2019 to where we are right now, there's so much Kenyan theatre original stories that have dropped ever since and continue to showcase in different auditoriums. And so many theatre productions have come up that are really showing great quality shows. So I don't know what's taking the audience so long, but there's so much great work in theatre right now. You will love it. And it happens every evening? Because now, yeah, I am like, okay, I want to come. So it happens. So usually the model of theatre, we would love to have it the whole month. But the model of Kenyan theatre, most times we do five shows. Friday, one show in the evening. Saturday, an afternoon show, which is also called a matinee. And then Saturday night, Sunday afternoon, and Sunday night. So we do five shows in a weekend. And that's it. Not only you, but the Kenyan theatre. So, when I go there... When you go to Kenyan National Theatre, you'll get a show. If you know Crony Productions, I'm sure they have a show that will come up. Anyone and everyone in the theatre industry has something coming up. So, guys, don't be like Celestine. We have theatre shows every other weekend. Yes. Apart from weekdays. Yes. Have you ever forgotten lines while you're on stage? I don't even get on stage. I'm a producer. I'm behind the scenes. I'm the one who plays. You should kind of play. I mean, we are the ones that bring everything together. Oh, what about in your show, the one you've written? You're not on stage? No. You have people acting it for you, acting it out? Yes, five different people playing Gathoni. Yeah. But tell us a bit about it. I'm sorry, I think I heard your story somewhere. Yes. I've just confirmed it's you. Yes. Is that what it's being? Yes. Oh, wow. Yeah, that's what's on stage. Oh, wow. Tell us a bit about it. So, Free Me is a story about gender-based violence, and it's based on my life on surviving gender-based violence in a marriage that almost killed me. So I took my story, and for reasons of, first of all, that theatre is activism in itself. It's the one art that has so much power to change people. And I thought to myself, I've been in the industry so long, And I have my own story that's so powerful that could change people's lives. Why don't I tell it? So I got a scriptwriter, two of them, and a director. And they sat down with the research material, including me as the research material. And they came up with a script. And this show revolves around my life. And it's played by five different women. 16-year-old Gathoni, 21-year-old Gathoni, 25-year-old Gathoni, 30-year-old Gathoni, and the Gathoni of now. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Allow me to ask a question. Yes, you're over there at the back. We'll You've sat with your story for 16 years. Yes. And this is when now you're ready? Yes. to To share your story, what you went through. Yes. Clock it. right Yes. Tea. What? Yeah. But it didn't feel right until now. What made you, actually my nini was, back. what made you feel like this is the time I should speak my voice? I realized for a very long time I wanted to tell this story, but I was so scared. First, because my abuser is still alive. My abuser still comes after me. So it means that if I speak up, every time I speak up, I also have to be ready for what is coming. And so I was continuously scared. I want to tell the story. I'm like, no, I'm scared. I'm scared. Then last year, November, I was like, scared no more. Let's go. What's the worst that could happen? I mean, worse things happened to me. Yeah, the worst happened. But even when I announced the show, things happened to me. My stuff was hacked. My stuff was leaked as part of trying to stop me. I'm sorry. The abuser still comes after you, even up to date. Yes. So you're just doing it scared? I'm doing it scared because I can continue being scared and that's what the abuser is hoping for. And I know I'm not the only one who's scared. Every other woman who's left an abusive marriage, every other girl who's been abused and the abuser is still out there, walks around afraid. But we can't be all afraid. Someone has to speak up. How old were you? I was 21. I was a child bride. And we have a 16-year-old in the show. Yes, we have a 16-year-old. And the 16-year-old is basically to show how, as a teenager, you're so oblivious of what's coming. Because between 16 and 21 is just five years. That changed my life forever. 21 is when you had your daughter? No, I had her at 25, but 21 is when I got married. Oh, you got married at 21? Yes, yes. Yes, bad choice. Don't be like me. I mean, I would say it was a bad choice. It was just the wrong person because I really wanted to be married and I really wanted children. At 21? Yes. Like you knew at 21? At 21, I was like, I know I want to be a mother. I know I want to have like six children. Like I'm very, I'm very maternal. I love children. Okay. Yeah. So it wasn't a I'm so scared. No, it was, I really want this and I'll continue to be myself even as the marriage progresses. But then that was the first thing that died. My dreams were the first thing that died. Then the violence came and I just became a shell of myself. Do you mind sharing a bit of how it was like in summary? Because I'm thinking we'd all love to hear this story in as much as we will. So maybe from 21, now that when you look back, what do you think of that 21? But Kwanzaa Tuambie, from 21 to 25, before you get your first, your baby, your daughter? First of all, how stupid of me not to know that I'm the love of my life. Because if I knew then that I was the love of my life, then I wouldn't have allowed someone to violate me in that way. But... You know, when you're madly in love with your person, you're not thinking about them harming you. You don't expect them to harm you. You also expect that when something happens, there's going to be a conversation, a dialogue of sorts so that you can sort things out. And just like business partners, a relationship is bound to have ups and downs, any type of relationship, even friendship. But then the most shocking part of it was that the first time when we started living living together the first time when we disagreed. And he slapped me. I was shocked. I was so shocked. And it was the mentality of everybody out there who's never been abused will always be, why didn't you leave? Or what did you do? There's a what did you do, which is automatically victim blaming. But it was always the most silly things. I put a post on Facebook talking about football. His friend replied. And I replied to what his friend said. And I was beaten up. So it's, it was, yeah, why are you chatting with a friend of mine on Facebook? And if you didn't exist, I wouldn't have known your friend, you know? So I didn't, I didn't choose this person to come and comment on my Facebook page, but the violence continued, um, for a while, up to before, for like three years, it continued and every day it was something. Sometimes we're just from set and he'll say something like, why was that guy looking at you like that? Are you cheating on me? Then he'd beat me up. There was always something to agitate him, to make him upset, to make him beat me up. And I think one of the biggest, the one that I constantly remember was when my daughter was getting baptized and I think she was three months old and I took her to the church. At this age? Yeah, and now I'm 25 and my baby is three months old and we're taking her for baptism. And after the baptism, his mother-in-law, his mother wanted to come with my child's godmother to my house so they could sit with us and celebrate and eat. And I said, I didn't cook anything because there's no food in the house. So he didn't use to provide. There was literally nothing. At this point, I'm also giving my child packet milk because I don't have breastfeeding milk. So after I spoke to his mom, his mom called him. And then in the evening, he came back home. And the first thing he did was like throw me into the wall, beat me up, step on me. He's like, why are you telling my mom our business? Like we don't have food. Yes. So unfortunately on that day, his brother was in our house. So he saw and he ran to go and get his mom. And his mom. Oh, you guys were living? Yes, we were living in the same compound. Kauskari, you know the way Kauskari is set up. Yes. So he went and got his mom and his mom came. Wait, you're a new mom? Yeah, literally, yes. Okay, I don't say that. You should beat someone who's not. Yeah, like I'm extremely delicate at this point. I haven't healed. I'm still recovering from childbirth, basically. And I was also going through postpartum depression. I'd lost so much weight. By the time I was giving birth, I was 86, 87 kgs. By the time my daughter was three months, I was 45 kgs. What? Like I shrunk into a tiny thing. What? Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And at the time also, because mother-in-law was being shot at my mother-in-law's house. So, yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. So, at that point, everybody can see me and can see me change and they can see. That I was falling apart. Part of my hair started being golden and it looked because I had a perm. And it started turning gold. And it looked like the most beautiful highlight. But I was losing color on my hair because I was not eating. Like I didn't have nutrition. Any type of nutrients. Like you are now malnourished. Yes, I was completely malnourished. New mother. It was hell. That's a lot. It's a lot. At 25, first of all, breastfeeding. Toxic marriage, breastfeeding, postpartum. For a 25-year-old girl. Yes. Was that the last beating that you received when you were to come down? Yes, it was. It was. And now I started to plan how to live. I was writing Machachari at the time. But before I gave birth, I was writing for Machachari. Immediately I gave birth, I couldn't write for two years. So I only appeared on Machachari as an actress, but I couldn't write because my brain couldn't create anything. I was totally and completely depressed. But by the sixth month, by the time my daughter turned six months, I'd planned myself and I just called my parents and I moved back home. It takes so much courage. It does. It does. And you still do. Courage is actually, it's not the absence of fear. Courage is not the absence of fear. It's being able to still do it even when you're afraid. Yeah. So you decided that I'm going back to my parents. Nobody knew what you were going through. No one. Until actually, his mom knew, but. Yeah. In fact, one of the times when I went to her to talk to her about it, she said, no, my son can't do that. And if he's doing that, it's because you've provoked him. Yeah. So it's the women who are supposed to actually uphold the rest of the younger women and ensure that they're staying safe. Unfortunately, the same people who uphold patriarchy and the harm that it causes to younger women. So you were with this guy from 21 to 25. So you were in this marriage for three and a half, four years. Four years. So after, what? We're talking about a long time ago, we don't know anything. Okay, well done. So after you went back, was there like... Actions like they're trying to bring you back. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Because our parents were very close. You guys were officially married? We did a traditional marriage. That is official, of course. Yes, and it was quite intimate and very close-knit because my parents and his parents were very close. Probably different. Yeah, they were very close. In fact, they were my parents' best couple. At my parents' wedding. His parents? Yeah. So this was like your first boyfriend? No. This was a person I grew up with. He wasn't a stranger to me. Yeah. He wasn't my first boyfriend. He was like my second boyfriend, actually. Yeah. But it's someone you've grown seeing, we are friends, we are In fact, we were close, as a younger girl, I thought we were related because his mom was always at our place. His mom and my mom were working together, they were selling things together. They were constantly together. So I thought, growing up, I thought, oh, these are my relatives. Then when I became a teenager, when I turned 16, I was like, wait, we're actually not related. They're just really good friends. And we'd go to their house, they'd come to ours. Yeah. It wasn't a stranger. So, what happened when they were trying to get you two back together? You know, you've gone through it, but parents feel like marriage is like this. Do you know, we have to talk. We have to talk. Okay. Yes. Yes. Um, So, when, because his dad called and said, Oh, I've heard about Gathoni and that she's come back home. I'd like for us to meet and have a conversation so that we can figure a way forward because that child is also our child. And my dad said, okay, I'll talk to her and ask her if she's willing to have the conversation because it's not my conversation to have. She holds the final word. So my dad came to me and said, your father-in-law called and he'd like for us to have a sit down. What do you think? And I said, no, I don't want to sit down. I don't ever want to go back. So it's okay. Called him back and he said, the person who you want to come and talk to and talk about is not interested. Even after time, time, time, night, 16 years. In fact, that friendship fell apart completely. What about you? Even after the first year, the second, there's no point you felt like, okay. No. In fact, now I started to love myself more. I started to find myself. Um The age, my daughter being between the age of six months to almost two years, I barely have memories of that part. I was completely depressed. I was just a shell of myself for a very long time. In fact, when I moved back home, my baby sister was in form too. you. And I was wearing her clothes because those were the only clothes that could fit me. Yeah. So I just started working towards getting better, worked towards getting my career back on track and all of those things, but also worked towards being able to raise my child. So I lived at home for a very long time before. I could move out and say, now I'm healed. I'm ready to be on my own. May God bless your parents. Thank you. Thank you. I love them so much. I love them so, so much. Now that in the movie you've said you have a 16-year-old, you have a 21-year-old, you have a 25-year-old, and a? And a 30, and a now. And now they're you. Yes, yes. I'd love to know why this ages. Is there a thing to the ages? Yes. So there's a significance in the play that at 16, you're whimsical, you're oblivious. As a girl, you're just, the only thing that's stressing you the most is you just got your period. Or you have a pimple on your face, you're going through acne, you know? Yes, you want to go outside and play catty. You want to be with your friends. You want to do all of these girly, teenage girl things. I love how you've said. At 16, the only thing stressing you. And it's okay, because that's the only thing that can stress you at that time. You don't even know enough. You're only in Form 2. The only thing that's bothering you at that point is puberty, adolescence. I don't know which boy looked at you, you know. And I didn't even have a phone at that point. I didn't have a phone until I was 18. So a phone is not one of the things I was looking at. 16 went Form 2, Form 1, Form 2, Form 3. Yeah, I'm just worried about sports being in debate. I'm happy. I want to play with my hair and clothes. I'm not missing on that list. I want to calligraph on my composition book and just write good handwriting. Those are the things that give you so much life. And then comes 21 year old. And 21 is also the point where you think. You're an adult, you know, how can my mom tell me I can't go out? What does she know? I have an idea, you know, so 21 now is when I'm getting married. And at the time I'm working as a receptionist at an insurance company. And. You had a good job. I did have a good job. You had a good job through college and university? So I dropped out of college. Okay. And then my dad was like, you know, you cannot just be in the house. Okay. I have a friend of mine who has an insurance company. Go and sit at the front desk. I was like, okay, I'm cool with that. I went, I'm 20, 21. I'm barely. Were they paying you though? Yeah, they were paying me. And at the time it felt like so much money because I remember getting 10,000 as a salary. That's a lot of money. It was a lot of money. And I remember the only thing, the only one thing I was thinking about is how I wanted to eat fries from stairs. Yes. So those were your stresses at 21? Those were my stresses at 21. And then the owner of the company said, you know, you can work here and get a desk. Why don't you go to the College of Insurance? And so I enrolled to the College of Insurance. I finished and I got a desk there. At 21? Yeah, at 21. At 21, at 21. Then we progressed. I have a desk at the corner. And my husband would come to pick me up, would drop me in the morning, come pick me up in the evening. Yeah, and I was so young and so naive. I thought this was love. But at 21, having a guy who is picking you and dropping you, all of us are like... He's a king of town. Yeah, that's the love everyone thinks is the love. But what I'd come to realize later was that him picking me up and dropping me was so that he could monitor where I am. At all times, even when I'd take a matatu to work, he'd be in the matatu or he'll ensure the matatu is owned by the friend so that he knows what time I got to work and what time I'm getting back home. So there's nothing happening in between that he's not aware of? Yes, constantly. From the house to the office? To the office. From the office? To the house. He knows, he's aware. So I was literally just a little slave who was moving from this part. But at the time, at the time you were... Yes, I'm so happy. I'm like, oh, my man, my man, my man. I I'm so loved. Yeah. Yeah. don't And then now comes 25 year old Gavoni who is pregnant. Yes. And then she gives birth. But even. So you guys, sorry. Yeah. You guys dated from 21, 22, 23, 24. know. 25 is when I gave birth. So you've already moved in. You've stayed together. Yes. You've moved together. Yes. Was he violent before you giving birth? Yes. He was. He was. And he was violent from when I was 21. The violence started then. It didn't start later. After getting a baby? No, it didn't start after getting a baby. Okay. So then 25, I get the baby. Then the biggest beating happens. And I know now I need to go. I can't stay here any longer. And so I left. Um And it took me another five years to rebuild. And that's why now 30-year-old Giovanni exists. And all she's done for the last 10 years is rebuild. For herself, for her daughter, and for every other woman who's been through the same thing. Yeah. you. What would you, now looking back, I know this question sounds very cliche, but looking back, I'm sure right now you're very alert, of course, with age comes. Now, picking and dropping you. Will not make you feel like the 21-year-old Gathoni. No, in fact, I want to have my car every time we're going anywhere, even on a date, so that the moment I want to leave, I'm leaving. So, looking back, the Gathoni who is seated here right now, are there things you feel like, maybe, no, and this is Gathoni to Gathoni, not Gathoni to you. Yeah. This is Gathoni to the 21-year-old Gathoni. Are there things you feel like, 21 and 25, maybe you would do this or you wouldn't do this? Um, to 21-year-old Gavoni, I wish I left when the first beating happened, because I didn't come from a place where there was no love. I didn't come from a house where I was not loved. In fact, I came from a house that was so full of love, I thought love was going to conquer all on this end. And I was willing to work it through and talk about it, but I wish that that was when I left. It's not like you've grown up seeing any of this happen. No, no. But you felt like, if I love this person more and more, then they're probably going to change. They're going to embrace me more. Yeah. You have a daughter. I do. Who is 16. 16, yeah. Do you find yourself, do you find, okay, maybe she's still young. Yeah. But do you find yourself wanting to impose a certain thing? Or do you just want to understand this? Because of what you went through. You know the fear of what you went through. Went through, yes. I really would not imagine my daughter. Yeah. I try my level best not to project or impose. Because a 16-year-old girl and even boy, but I wouldn't know about a boy, but a 16-year-old girl is so delicate and so naive. You have to hold her hand. And I hold her hand like I'm holding myself. I know at 16 is also one of the times when I was falling out with my parents so bad as a teenage girl. Um... And so now when I'm raising my child, it feels just like last year. Now raising my child, I can remember every drama that was going on between me and my parents. And so when I'm raising my child, I want to hold her hand. I want to have honest conversations with her throughout. Um... We'd barely talk about marriage or what I went through. We barely have those conversations, but we have conversations about the things she wants to become, the things she believes in, how you should treat people, consent, all of those things, what love should look like and what it shouldn't be. But also the most important part of it is that her love to herself is the most important one. Now, you feel like if. You feel like you had not loved yourself before or during this time? No, I don't even think loving myself was the thing I was thinking about. And I think even the way you're raised and thinking that love is supposed to be given to other people more than anything. Well, it's you. It's you you should be loving first. I think that resonates with me so much. Lately I've been thinking we have A busy day, but not even an hour to yourself. Yep. You don't choose yourself much. Exactly. Yeah. Like I'm in production season right now. And one of the things that I'm doing is that I'm choosing to go to the gym no matter what. Thank you. So I'm choosing myself first before I go into the production for rehearsals. And it's so fulfilling to first choose yourself because then you can be able to choose only the things that serve you. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Preach, I feel like you... Because lately I've been... Well, I think I started towards the end of last year. I have mommy time, I have kids, you have kids time, you have your business time, you have your everything, but when it comes to yourself, you don't have an hour in a day. That's why it's important maybe to go to the gym or even take a run, like sit. In fact, I used to listen to music, because that is not even your life. Be with yourself, sit with your emotions and your thoughts. And in silence also, and in silence. So I stopped listening to music when I'm running. Now, just sit with it. Don't be scared of yourself. Sit with yourself. Okay, so Gathoni, right now, I love that you've said theater is like activism because we have many people in relationships. It doesn't matter whether it's marriage, whether it's friendship, anything. Mm-hmm. But you'd love to maybe do something for yourself. You feel like I'm not supposed to be here. I'm just scared because if I leave, Status. I'm going to be lonely. I'm going to lose connections. There are just so many reasons why people keep staying. And that's why. I'm saying. Because there are so many many reasons. What would you like to tell that woman. That lady. And I'm talking to the women because you're a woman. Yes. We can't tell the men. We don't know. I mean, this is a story for a woman who's been abused. And this is my experience. Like, I cannot alter this history about myself. But one of the things I know that holds us back when we're being abused is, and especially if you're married, you have a child, is what are people going to say? Now I've become a single mother. There's all of these things that are going on in your head. But I'll tell you this. Anyone? People, first of all, will always say something about you. You cannot live your life thinking about what people are going to say about you or what people are going to think. The only person who matters is you. Because people saying, Eh, na ule ali atwa. Eh, unajona kuanga single mother. But I'm alive. I'm an alive single mother who's happy, who's healthy, mentally, physically. So, choose yourself. And it's so easy to be on this side to say choose yourself. And when you decide to leave, it feels like you're about to fall, but you're actually about to fly. So choose yourself and the rest of the things will fall into place. Yeah. Thank you so much, Kathoni. Thank you. I feel like your story, I think we should actually just come and watch it. Yes, please. And I'm happy that you've gotten to a level where you're ready to share your journey. Most of us, I don't think we'll ever get there. Yeah, you will. You will time. Time. Don't play with time. But yeah, if it took you 16 years and you're saying even right now you're doing it scared. It's not like the person, the abuser is done with you. I don't know what else he has in store. But you're still doing it scared. Because last year I was threatened by a blogger and I was like, it's fine. You guys can do your worst. At the end of the day, we shall all leave this world. It's okay. You guys want to come after me. You guys want to harm me. The story is out. There's nothing we can do. And it's my story. And it's my truth. Yeah. I have so many questions, but I won't ask here. I will ask Kando. They might feel like coming. I mean, but yeah. But yeah. So where are we coming to? We would love, personally I'd love. I hope I won't cry. You will cry actually. When people ask me what the dress code is, I tell them wear something comfortable and bring your handkerchief. That's the only important piece of clothing you need for this show. How long is the show? An hour, 40 minutes. Now let me ask, there's something you said at the beginning, I don't know, I think our viewers, I hope we may mark. The reason why we stopped watching, most of us, most people stopped going to the theatre, it's because Kitambo Theatre was, we were with Act Vita Buzmi Andikwa. Right now, what is airing in theater is a real story of someone like Kadoni, like you're airing your story. The government, especially, we just call it government because we don't know what they will do. They should do, because your story, I fear it will end up in the theater. Yes. I wish I could be able to tour this story into counties. To those 16-year-old guys. Yes, yes, yes. Because that 16-year-old girl, in fact, is the most important. And that 16-year-old boy, because my daughter has said to me, Mom, there are people in my class whose parents are actually going through the same thing you went through. There's someone's mom who's been beaten by their dad. So it's happening. And those girls and those boys need to see it because especially as a boy, when you grow up with a violent father, you think that violating women is the right thing to do. And if we're going to change, we have to change the younger generation first. Yeah. So if only we can get the resources, the finances and get this information as... To be seen as many people as possible. But most importantly, even to the government, we need an auditorium. A 1,500, 2,000 seater that is plug and play, especially for theatre, would really change the game for us. I'm staging my show at Jane Bavan in La Rochelle. It's a privately owned auditorium, which means it's extremely expensive for me as a theatre producer. But imagine if we had an auditorium. that the government has built for us beyond Kenya National Theatre because we cannot grow the thing and we have nowhere to take the people. When is the show? 5th to 7th of June. 5th to 7th of June. Yes, the first weekend of June. 5th, 6th and 7th. Five shows. Two a day? Yes, two on Saturday, two on Sunday. Opening night, Friday, 7pm. Okay. Yeah. Okay, where are we getting our tickets? Our tickets are on book.com. Yes. And the film is? The name of the theatre play is Free Me. And Free Me is basically two ways. A free me and a cry for freedom. Yeah. To that person, that person you've said, don't tell them why you're not leaving. In fact, most of them even lose friends. We take you out, you come back. Do you know what they say? Yes, yes. I'm tired even. You don't even listen to them. To that person, I know you, maybe you, well, we cannot understand exactly what they're going through. But to that person, even if your friends have tried, you can just tell them. Like, I'm not telling them to leave because you'll only leave when you, when your time and when you feel you're ready. But to that person, even if his friends have tried, you've failed. They have their own reasons as to why they're there. Yes. What can you tell that person? First of all, I'm really sorry that you're going through this. But second of all, you have to sit with yourself and believe that it gets better. That you could stay there and die. That's the unfortunate truth. That it's not many of us who get to live alive. You're alive now. You're able now, and I know sometimes also the financial constraints will have you thinking that you're not worth anything, so you can't live. But I can tell you, as long as you live and you choose yourself, a day at a time is all it takes to rebuild. a day at a time and there's so many um there's so many organizations that are willing to help and are willing to listen there's crew C-R-E-A-W there's GVRC there's Usikimi um we have a friend of our production called Sikona Center Which will also be there at the show. They talk to us before the show starts. And they have a section outside where if you feel overwhelmed, you can just go sit with them and breathe and paint. Like we have a compression side of the production where if you come watch as an audience and even victims, I'd really, really love if you're out there and you'd love to come see this show as a victim. If you're still in a marriage or a relationship where you're being abused. Come see this show because it's going to change your life forever. Since we staged this show the first time, there's been so many women who've come up to me and said, Gathani, I left because I watched your show. As recent as just four days ago. Yeah, yeah, so, and... It's that shame of not being able to speak up. So they will do. Sometimes they'll send me on DMs and they'll never say anything on their Instagram because they are ashamed. But so many people have been able to leave just from watching this play. So I know how important and powerful this story is. So if you can, as a victim, as a survivor, as a friend of, just come and see this show and hold your friend's hands and walk with them, but also for the abusers. First of all, shame on you. I don't think there's anything that happens to you when you do something wrong. You know the way the men who abuse you... Nothing is happening to them when they do something wrong. They continue to abuse. In fact, my abuser is vying for a parliamentary seat. That's how much nothing is being done about men who abuse women. They still, their lives continue and to the top, to the highest offices. Now I'm seeing how... Brave you are. Yeah. Like doing it afraid. I'm doing, for real, for real, I'm actually doing it afraid. I'm doing it completely shaken, but I gotta do it. Yeah. Yeah. And there's a reason as to why you feel you need to do it. Yes. And you feel you need to do it now. Yeah. Thank you so much, Gathoni. Thank you for having me. Thank you so much for coming to the show. Thank you. I'm sure, most definitely, one or two. One or two, I'd say, because of Gathoni, as they're telling you. I took that bold move. And you said courage is not lacking. You do it scared, afraid. You choose to, I am living, I don't know what we'll eat tomorrow. But a day at a time. A day. Tukiamuka tunapumua, God has a reason why we are still alive. If you wanted us, done. It's very quick for us to be done. I know. And it's so easy for us to die, actually. We're just such weak, small things in this whole world. So if God is keeping you after the first beating, after the second beating, like until God has given you that thought of, I can move. Imagine God has a reason why I have a plan to your thought. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. And thank you so much, guys, for watching. I wish we would have stayed even longer, like longer. So that on the 5th, 6th and 7th, we will get a message. Please, just come. I don't want to say everything. But then you'll have no reason for coming. But yeah, guys, please buy your tickets on Mook.com. Let us come watch Free Me by Gadhoni. And yeah, bring a friend. Maybe there's that friend. I don't know if I've talked to him or not. Pay him this month's date. Tell her this day I want you to be. Will you be my date? Take her to watch. Yes. Gathoni will do the rest for you. You've done your part. But thank you so much, Gathoni. Thank you. Thank you for the good work that you're doing. Thank you so much. May God give you the strength to continue doing it afraid. Amen. May God give you the wisdom. Yes. To continue preaching this gospel. To as many, as many people as you can. Yeah. Thank you very much. Saving one is enough. Just one at a time. That's what I'm saying. Even this episode will be one. One. One. Yeah. It's okay. Yeah. Yeah. Until next week, guys. Bye-bye.