16th July 2010
Kikulacho – the Bite Within
A Film Every Kenyan Must See
This week A24 Media and Camerapix, in collaboration with Transparency
International-Kenya, launched a deeply insightful and powerful
documentary titled Kikulacho – The Bite Within, at the Silverbird
Cinemas in Nairobi.
How devastating is poor organization and management to a country and
its people? How can we ensure better leadership and a better tomorrow
for our children?
These are some of the themes explored and laid bare in the film
Kikulacho – the Bite Within. Kikulacho is a moving Kenyan
documentary that examines how corrupt systems and policies have
impacted on the common people. But it is also a story of hope and
triumph that aims to look at how our institutions and leadership can
be shaped by the people themselves to realize their dreams.
The film will be broadcast on Nation Television on Saturday July 17th
at 9.45 pm and will then be followed by a global release.
The film has been launched at a critical time in our country’s
history. Kenya is just a few weeks away from voting in a referendum on
whether to adopt a new constitution. The last time a referendum took
place on the same issue it bitterly divided the country and sowed the
seeds for the discord and violence that rocked the country and shocked
the world in the December 2007 elections.
How have our elections been organized? Why does land remain such an
emotive issue – can any constitution be used as a tool of
oppression? Using powerful, historical archive, interviews with people
across the country and a haunting music score, the film seeks some
answers to these questions. Much of the material in the film was drawn
from Camerapix’s own rich and authoritative library and gives
perspective to the tale of corruption in Kenya.
Directed by Kenyan filmmaker Murad Rayani and produced by the same
team that created such award winning documentaries as Refusing to Die
and Mo & Me, Kikulacho, promises to be another hard-hitting globally
acclaimed story. Mo & Me in particular went on to win over a dozen
best documentary awards including the New York International Film
Festival, the Chairperson’s prize at the Zanzibar International Film
Festival and was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
A24 Media is Africa’s first online delivery site for material from
journalists, African broadcasters and NGO’s from around the
continent and its production arm, Camerapix, founded by the legendary
photo-journalist Mohamed Amin, is one of the continent’s oldest
independent production houses.
Speaking during the launch of the film, A24 Media Chairman Salim Amin
said:
“This film is meant to serve as an eye opener. It basically is a
stop sign, for people to pause and think, before literally stampeding
into yet another crushing pitfall,” referring to the 2005 referendum
and the 2007 post-election violence. “It was so clear after the 2007
elections that the image we portrayed of Kenya as a land of peace was
a sham that brutally turned to a mess in the eyes of the whole
world,” he added.
The film covers such emotive topics as extra-judicial killings,
corruption scandals including Goldenberg and the issues of
landlessness and squatters rights. It also examines the key impact
played by such icons as Pio Gama Pinto and JM Kariuki as well as
exposing the dark underbelly of corruption. As the country stands at a
crossroads with the ghost of the last election still looming large and
the referendum approaching, the film is a must see for every Kenyan
and anyone concerned with issues of human rights, progress and how
people are governed.
“It is also a story of hope and triumph that aims to look at how
our institutions and leadership can be shaped by the people themselves
to realise their dreams,” said the TI-Kenya Executive Director,
Samuel Kimeu, in his address to the audience prior to the screening.
Premiering just three weeks before the constitutional referendum, the
film will be used for civic education with its call to action to
citizens to actively participate in decision-making processes
including the referendum and the 2012 elections. The film also aims to
provide an impetus for debate and dialogue on governance issues, and
act as a springboard for the Kenyan public to make a difference in
their communities, have a say in issues that affect their lives, and
take responsibility for the future of Kenya
“Transparency International-Kenya hopes that all Kenyans will view
this documentary and act to stamp out the attitude of helplessness and
apathy towards corruption. Accountability and transparency requires an
active role by the public. Kenyans’ power to take charge, change
their destiny and shape a better Kenya lies with their votes,” said
the TI-Kenya Board Chair, Dr Richard Leakey.
The film’s trailer and behind the scenes footage can be viewed
online under the link and the complete film will be posted soon:
http://www.a24media.com/kikulachothefilm
To comment and post your views, please use the link below
http://www.facebook.com/kikulacho
Have a look at one of our first reviews of the film:
http://bit.ly/9B8xGX
END
Agbani Darego
Agbani Darego won the Miss World Pageant in 2001. 