In Kenya, getting censored is as easy as buying peanuts in Nairobi traffic; quick, casual, and frustratingly common. From Rafiki, the tender story of a queer couple, to Stories of Our Lives by The Nest Collective, bold and beautiful works have been banned, buried, or butchered. Music videos? Snipped. Art installations? Monitored. All thanks to the mighty hand of the Kenya Film Classification Board under the notorious reign of one Ezekiel Mutua. yes, the same one with the moustache that inspired our villain.
Fun fact: we're probably the only organization in Kenya rocking not one, but two KFCB classification certificates on LGBTQ content. Why? We sent in 62 films for classification. We figure someone at the board got tired, sighed, and stamped ‘approved’ out of pure exhaustion. You're welcome.
But behind the humour is a deeper frustration, the silencing of Kenyan creatives who dare to imagine differently. So instead of waiting for permission, we chose subversion.
Enter our ARG (Alternate Reality Game) comic book: a radical fusion of reality and fiction where satire sharpens its teeth and resistance takes the form of a story. Meet Ole Sondeka, the mythical party-loving guardian of creativity, and his eternal nemesis, Bwana Stache, commander of the C.C.U (Counter Creativity Unit), whose mission is to crush anything that smells remotely artistic, expressive, or queer.
Welcome to S0nd3k4, Where Creativity Rules
Picture a world where art is currency, music literally heals, and colours rise like auroras to chase away sadness. A world where war never existed, and creativity is the only language spoken. This is S0nd3k4, a shimmering alternate dimension held together by boundless imagination.
Its protector is Ole Sondeka, a cosmic custodian of the arts, tasked with watching over other dimensions, including ours and stepping in when creativity is under siege.
The Battle Begins and Nairobi is the Frontline
Back on Earth, Ole Fudi, a.k.a. The Mechanic, has been living undercover among Nairobi’s creatives. By day, he helps artists build, make, and create but he’s also been secretly monitoring rising C.C.U activity. Censorship is tightening. Expression is under threat.
The situation has reached a tipping point. Fudi sends a call through the hidden channels of imagination, Ole Sondeka must rise.
This is not just a comic. It’s a rebellion in ink. A satire with teeth. A creative resistance wrapped in panels and plot twists.
Because if they’re going to ban our stories, we’ll just tell them in another reality. One they can’t touch. S0nd3k4 is open. The battle for creativity has begun.
Synopsis
In a world where censorship wears a tie and power hides behind bureaucratic moustaches, The Stache and his elite squad, the Counter Creativity Unit (C.C.U), wield unchecked authority over Kenya’s creative landscape. Backed by powerful institutions, they impose rigid control over what artists can say, show, or dream. Those who resist? Silenced through smear campaigns, takedown notices, or dragged into endless court battles.
But not all hope is lost.
On a parallel version of Earth, right here in Nairobi, lives Ole Fudi, known in underground circles as The Mechanic. For the past decade, he’s worked quietly with the city's boldest creatives; building, fixing, and fueling radical expression. But he’s more than just a fixer; he’s an agent from a secret dimension called S0nd3k4 Alt, tasked with watching over Earth’s creative pulse.
Now, the C.C.U’s grip is tightening, their attacks have escalated.
And worst of all, Ole Sondeka, the legendary protector of creativity from S0nd3k4, has vanished. Last seen during the Dunda at Home livestream, he was kidnapped mid-beat in an audacious raid led by The Stache himself. The Mechanic is out of time. And he needs your help.
How it worked
In the shadows of censorship, the Creative Resistance launched its most daring mission yet.
The Photocomic
To kick things off, we created a photocomic and distributed it digitally across multiple platforms. Embedded within its panels were narrative triggers, coded visuals, and hidden links that led readers deeper into the alternate world. By reading the comic and following clues online, participants were able to unlock the next stages of the game, connecting fiction with fact and piecing together a mystery in real-time.
Documents exposing surveillance on Ole Sondeka were leaked by Creatileaks across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Alongside the leaks, a cryptic motion graphic video which was Augmented within the photocomic offered the first clue was released, the first breadcrumb for those bold enough to join the mission. In a flickering terminal-style font to give it a spy/ detective film feel.
Clue One
Medium: Augmented Motion Graphic inside the photocomic
Content: A glitched, flickering video inviting viewers to enter the rebellion. It planted the first seed of curiosity and resistance.
Content: A glitched, flickering video inviting viewers to enter the rebellion. It planted the first seed of curiosity and resistance.
Clue Two
Medium: Hidden Webpage Riddle
Access Point: A secret entry embedded within the Sondeka Festival Collaborators page
Challenge: Solve a riddle referencing one of the collaborators.
Access Point: A secret entry embedded within the Sondeka Festival Collaborators page
Challenge: Solve a riddle referencing one of the collaborators.
Riddle Prompt:
"Ran August 4th Paris GG 200 metres
Survived Kahler"
"Ran August 4th Paris GG 200 metres
Survived Kahler"
The answer was:
B00PHJSRA4 — the Amazon ID of Kevin Mwachiro’s Contact Zones 8
Only the correct answer allowed progress. Four wrong guesses? Connection terminated.
Only the relentless moved forward.
Only the relentless moved forward.
Hint: Found on www.sondeka.org/festival/collaborators
Sondeka website landing page
Clue Three
Medium: Secret YouTube Link
Unlocked via Correct Password
Unlocked via Correct Password
Video Scene:
In a dimly lit room, Ole Sondeka was tied to a chair, wounded, worn, but unbroken. The overhead camera caught his glowing eyes flickering in defiance.
In a dimly lit room, Ole Sondeka was tied to a chair, wounded, worn, but unbroken. The overhead camera caught his glowing eyes flickering in defiance.
Ole Sondeka (distorted voice): You have reached this far in the journey to save creativity. The Stache and his minions will not succeed.
(Loud banging. Footsteps. Sondeka turned his head toward the sound.)
Ole Sondeka: They’re back.
(He looked into the lens. His eyes glowed brighter.)
Ole Sondeka: Don’t give up. The next clue can be found here:
b i t dot l y slash s n d k a t o o c l o s e
b i t dot l y slash s n d k a t o o c l o s e
The screen glitched, looping the video indefinitely.
Decode This to Proceed:
2_15_14_9_6_1_3_5_13_23_1_14_7_9
Hint: DIFF 2020 documentary, Kenya. “Pliant.”
Hint: DIFF 2020 documentary, Kenya. “Pliant.”
Clue Four
Real-World Challenge
Medium: Physical Interaction
Audio Message from The Mechanic:
“We’re close. I can feel it. But how do I know you’re not part of the Counter Creativity Unit?
I needed proof. Real proof.
We are the MECHANICS.
We fought for art. For truth. For imagination.
We fought for art. For truth. For imagination.
To proceed, you had to complete real-world creative tasks. Paint. Sculpt. Rebel. Celebrate the human form. Challenge taboos.
Only once all tasks were complete did I release the final clue. That last piece brought the player one step closer to saving creativity and winning the Ksh 10,000 bounty.
THE GAME WAS ON
Ole Sondeka vs. Bwana Stache and the C.C.U. was more than just a comic, it became an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) where the lines between fiction and reality blurred.
To rescue Ole Sondeka, players had to decode clues hidden across three realms:
The Comic Book
The Sondeka Website
The Creatives Garage WebsiteEach discovery brought them closer to his hidden location. To win, players had to outsmart The Stache, solve each layered mystery, and reignite the creative flame.
THE REWARD?
A Ksh 10,000 bounty awaited the first rebel to crack the final code and send the coordinates to The Mechanic.
A Ksh 10,000 bounty awaited the first rebel to crack the final code and send the coordinates to The Mechanic.
This wasn’t just a story.
It was a resistance.
A creative rebellion.
It was a resistance.
A creative rebellion.
The Portal had opened. And for those brave enough to enter, it changed everything.