From October Issue of Up Magazine; The Downtown Issue
What The Wazi Is Going On?
A film, interlinking stories and the importance of being heard.
Night has fallen and two police officers are outside the Wazi? Fm studios, guns cocked, ready to conduct a raid to arrest MoMo. One of the officers is scared stiff and wants to wait for back up. He has heard that these people are armed and dangerous. Inside, MoMo is making what may be his last address to his listeners. He knows they are out there waiting for him and there is no escape. He is ready and his audience needs to be prepared for what lies ahead.
Too bad you may never get to see this film.
Thousands of films are made in Kenya each year. How many do you get to watch? Only about four or five- if you are lucky. What happens to all the rest? They get sucked into a vortex and only get spat back out if the international media tell us they are cool.
Wazi Fm is one you may never get to see. No, it has not been banned by the Film Commission. Do not expect any form of nudity, an Anaconda style clip, drugs or any extreme violence. Wazi? Fm has an unlikely hero that we may or may not be ready to embrace.
It has been a year since the Westgate attack. Kenyans are still raw from the mall shooting that claimed 67 lives and wounded many more. The government’s reaction to this was to launch a military operation dubbed, Linda Nchi to flush out the Al Shabaab militia from our towns. The operation saw Kenyan Somali’s and some urban refugees caught up in the swoop. Their lack of papers, having apparently often been forcibly removed from them, landed many of them in the Kasarani Sports Centre “concentration camp”. That is if they did not have the necessary cash at hand to buy their security and freedom. In Little Mogadishu, the neighbourhood commonly known as Eastleigh, Somalis live in fear of being uprooted from the lives they have worked oh so hard to rebuild. It does not help their case much that the Al Shabaab militia are recruiting their sons, brothers and husbands right at their doorstep. They fear both the people they share roots with and the people charged with protecting them.
As it was said long before, there are two sides to any coin. The ridges on the side tell their own story too. Yet we hardly ever examine it. After all, it has no value.
Xenophobia is a narrative we choose to subscribe to. It is easy to believe that every Somali, in this context, is Al Shabaab. They are all the same- turban wearing, gun- wielding, grenade throwing terrorists. That’s why the police can tell us on live television that the women we saw them manhandle during the anti-terror sweep are terrorists and as a result not be shown mercy. They were kicked, stripped and raped then thrown in with the rest at the camps. In this context, your appearance and nationality deprives you of your rights.
Terrorism, the Somali situation and corruption are indeed very sensitive subjects. We must walk on egg shells when tackling them and let the government drip feed us information as they see fit. We shouldn’t question or speculate or try to take the situation to account. Trust them. Because the situation remains sensitive, you may never get to watch Wazi? Fm. You may not watch the story of solidarity that goes beyond race, creed and borders. A story of resilience in the proclamation of truth and the fight against corruption and the different faces of the war against terrorism as told by Cultural Video Foundation, CVF.
During the making of Wazi? Fm, CVF collected stories from urban refugees as well as Kenyan Somalis in little Mogadishu and around Nairobi. They sought to tell the story hardly ever told or heard. “At first, we intended to do a series. We made three episodes but we didn’t have enough money to finish the series,” Says Alessandra Argenti, the producer of Wazi? Fm. “The story was too powerful to sit on,” she continues, “so we chose to shoot a movie instead.”
“We chose to make this film because the issue of urban refugees is really coming to the fore-front of the current issues of terrorism in Kenya. At first, the script was written addressing the issue of human rights violations on the Somali community in 2013, but after Westgate happened we took an entirely different view of the issue.” Says the Director, Dr. Faras on the choice of theme. “I used to be a part of the green party I've always been involved in a lot of political and social issues. I also only ever do documentaries. The only other films I've ever have done were based on social issues as well, Maskani Fulani was all about how people perceive public space. And Twende Berlin, a film that actually involved UP magazine's co-operation all about a Kenyan hip-hop group experience in Berlin.” He adds.
The EU, International Refugee Council (IRC) and Kituo cha Sheria partnered with CVF in funding the film. Some of the partners censored this film. Some of the producers decided not to release the film but Argenti appreciates the support they gave them. “We are very grateful for the support our partners have given us. Without them this film would not have been a reality. The EU deals with urban refugees so the concept was close to their hearts. It was very nice to see some of the partners here at the screening. Maybe they are warming up to the idea of showing it”
The film starred Kenya’s top crop of thespians including the revered Raymond Ofula. Alessandra beams as she speaks of Ofula and the cast. “You could see him here giving advice and moulding his fellow actors. I was really inspired working with all of them in my mind, body and spirit. I feel blessed. Historia Films did the casting and they did an amazing job. It was really difficult getting a Somali actor to play the lead. We had to delay production for almost a month. Mahad was definitely worth the wait. Most Somalis we approached were not willing to take the chance. He came through and he automatically got it!”
The film’s lead actor, Mahad Ahmed is a Kenyan born of Refugee parents and most of these stories were real to him. In the film, he plays MoMo, an urban refugee living in Eastleigh. He and Kevo (Joseph Wairimu) -his best friend and co-host-are brought together by an NGO for a media project where Somalis and Kenyans can work together to promote peace. With their resolve to educate and unite both communities driving them, they stumble upon a secret that threatens to further divide both communities. MoMo mysteriously disappears and a Special Forces Officer (Raymond Ofula) takes us through MoMo’s life as he tries to piece together the events that led to his disappearance.
The film focuses on the plight of the urban Somali refugees, their struggles as they try to build their lives in their adopted country, the difficulty in getting the necessary papers as well as keeping the papers. Kenyans may not be ready to flip the coin and study the ridges but what if they are? According to Argenti, “Movies are made to create an impact. That’s why I love making films. A story, well told, makes us reflect on our situations.”
The film was written by JC Niala who has had her fair share of encounters with urban refugees. Her father hosted refugees in his home and his school in Langata while they were growing up. When she was approached to write the TV series, she saw it as an opportunity to share the stories of the refugees she grew up with. She had seen their plight and heard their stories and she hoped to do them justice with the film.
“Corruption plays a huge part in terrorism.” Says Argenti, “You cannot fight one without fighting the other. It is important that both be tackled at the same time else we will just be going round in circles.”
When the film was done, there were stations ready to air the film but that was not to be. Some of the partners felt the topic far too sensitive to show at the moment. Though CVF cannot air this film they worked so hard on in Kenya, there is a way around it. “We have permission to show the film at international Film festivals. If we cannot do it directly, we will take it across oceans and it will eventually come back here.” Confides Argenti. According to her: “There is an urgent need to show this film to raise awareness about the urban refugee situation. This film should go viral and start a debate. I don’t want everybody to tell me they like the film. If they hate it, it’s even better because they will talk about it“
Wazi? Fm is an important film that may make a few people very uncomfortable. The best thing about it is the Nairobi flavour. You see yourself in the characters and the situations. It paints a very vivid picture of life in Nairobi. We hope to see it win an award, so Kenya can join the world in recognising the situation, take stock of it and react positively. It is indeed time to stop terrorism and their agents. How we do it however, could be the difference between the life of unrest and distrust and the peace and stability we so hope for.