Nawi: Kenyan Movie Shot in Deep Lands of Turkana to Premiere at Anga Cinema in Nairobi

 

Nawi is a movie feature written by Nakuru-based Youtuber and film writer Milcah Cherotich, which explores the vast topic of child marriage in Rural Africa and fight for gender equity and access to education. Shot in the desert county of Kenya, the cradle of man, Turkana, the film showcases the deep culture and the struggle of the girl-child in the region to get an education in a society that still embraces child marriage. Nawi, (Michelle Lemuya Ikeny) the main character, brings out the struggle of hope, resilience and success to attend high school, after her father, Eree (Ochungo Benson) sold her for livestock to Shadrack (Ben Tekee). In her struggle, her brother Joel (Joel Liwan) helps her after she refuses to be taken on her father’s plan of the arranged marriage to Shadrack, a stranger who almost shatters her dream of education.

 According to Cherotich, the topic of child marriage in Kenya has received less attention despite the practice being adversely mentioned in pastoralist counties. “Child marriage is a topic that doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. We must fight against these practices,” she explained. Mourine Apuus, the first female director from the region, said the project was a personal journey after she rose from the struggles of early marriage, sharing the beautiful culture of her people. “Creating Nawi was a personal journey for me. As a native of Turkana, a woman and a mother, I grew up with the struggles, particularly regarding early child marriage and education for young girls. Nawi is a vessel for the untold stories of my people, carrying responsibility to inspire positive change and eliminate harmful practices,” Apuus said. Echoing the sentiments of Apuus, Kevin Schmutzler, also a co-director, said the shooting of the movie in Turkana gave the world an opportunity to explore the rich culture of Turkana and aims to translate the movie for a global audience. “The insights of the Turkana people allowed Nawi to delve beyond a superficial understanding and explore the reasons behind old norms while it immerses our audience in the rich culture of the proud Turkana Tribe. 

We hope to translate it into a movie that will resonate with audience globally. We hope to create a cinematic experience that challenges preconceptions, foster empathy and most importantly inspires action,” he further added. With her experience in directing films, Valentine Kinaga, a film director from Kisumu, input her skills in Nawi with her immense passion for telling untold stories; Nawi is her first feature-length project as a director. Ludwig Prince of Bavaria Brizan Were, the founders of Learning Lions and producers of Nawi, had different intentions while settling for the first time in Turkana with a common goal of showcasing Turkana to the world. “We want to introduce Turkana to the world. Our program has been active in this region for almost ten years and we know about the challenges and also the opportunities,” Were said. Prince is living his 15-year dream of producing a film in Turkana, a dream he has had since settling in Lodwar almost two decades ago. “Since I first came to Turkana 15 years ago, I have dreamt of shooting a cinema movie here. I was so fascinated by the region and the culture. I wanted to share that with the Western audience,” he said. According to Were, the biggest challenges were the region's distance from the country’s capital, lack of infrastructure and heavy equipment to shoot, and sustaining their ongoing social projects in the region. 

“Turkana is very remote. There is no established infrastructure to shoot with a big crew and heavy equipment. Plus we also wanted to integrate the making of the movie in our Learning Lions education program,” he said. Apart from the success of shooting Nawi, the Nawi Fund was created to support girls at immediate risk of being married or needing rescue from an existing planned marriage. Celebrating the success of the premiering of Nawi, the team is in awe of the first girls’ high school from the project, Wakanda Girls Senior High, completed during the production of the movie, located at the Shores of Lake Turkana, with over 300 girls enrolled. The film will still be available at Anga Cinema from August 25 until August 31. 

(Sponsored) Source: TUKO.co.ke Read more: https://www.tuko.co.ke/entertainment/movies/559133-nawi-kenyan-movie-shot-deep-lands-turkana-premier-anga-cinema-nairobi/