FILMMAKING IN KENYA: Traveling in Sub-Saharan Africa

Hell’s Gate - Naivasha, Kenya

A few weekends ago I went on a trip to Naivasha - a lake resort not far from Nairobi. It was there that I went on a boat ride to see the hippos and Fish Eagles, rode a camel, rode a horse, played pool and just generally had a wonderful time. It was one of the best weekends of my life.

The highlight was my visit to Hell’s Gate. Hell’s Gate is a national park here in Kenya. Like all the national parks, it has many animals. I rented a bike and road into the park. This is significant. Whenever I have been in parks in Kenya I have always been in a vehicle. Only stepping out occasionally to be in the open air and put my feet on the ground. But this trip was so very different. I found myself riding on a bicycle out in the open with giraffes, Thompson gazelles, buffalos and warthogs running along side of me. There I was in the open in the serenity of the wild next to some of the most exotic animals on planet earth. I was completely in awe! The road was not busy at all with just a few cars coming by at long intervals. So it was a peaceful connection to nature in a way I have never experienced before.

At the end of the road is a gorge that was used as a location for Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie. A Masai guide took me through the mini-canyon that had several tributaries all connected together. The winding paths lead to remarkable beauty that mother nature had carved out of the rock walls of this labyrinth of passageways over who knows how many years.

I wish I had pictures for you. But they are a poor substitute for the real thing. The magic of Africa is something to be experienced not just viewed in photos and watched on a documentary. The air, the sky, the smells, and the 360 degrees of beauty has to be felt and observed first hand.

Shortly after my trip to Naivasha, I was sent an email inviting me to give a class at the Rwanda International Film Festival. This expense paid trip was not to be missed. So after directing a UNICEF video for Spielworks Media, I boarded a plane destined for Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Below you will find my diary from Rwanda. I just returned to Nairobi two days ago.

Here I sit in a land that experienced one of the worst genocides ever in the history of the world - Rwanda.

My arrival was late at night. My driver’s accent completely new to me. I have never heard such an accent anywhere. Since he probably speaks French and the local language as well as English, the cadence and rhythm of his speech I found to be intriguing. It’s funny how you can feel like you’re in a Star Wars movie right here on planet Earth.

My driver continually reassured me that Rwanda is safe. “People walk around at this time of night” he told me over and over again pointing at those we could see walking. “There are policemen and army people everywhere” was his reasoning behind the safety his people felt on the streets at night. And I must admit, I could see that there were people out wandering the streets and not just young men in gangs but couples and individuals of all ages. And I know that at that hour, 12:30 a.m., couples don’t walk around the streets of Nairobi that’s for sure.

Then he told me how clean Rwanda is. He said, “Look at the streets and the walks. It’s like that everywhere.” And he was right. Nothing like Nairobi. Nairobi doesn’t really have walks in most places and there is trash lying around on the sides of the roads always.

So on the surface Rwanda has a very clean and safe appearance. I’ve only been here a few hours so there is much more to discover about Rwanda.

It’s been 17 years since the genocide and even though Rwanda would prefer to forget about it, it is obvious that it cannot. Why would my driver be so adamant about the aesthetics and the safety of Rwanda? Because he knows the genocide is not only in the minds of the people who come to visit but also it is still in the minds of the people here. How can it not be?

Day 3 in Kigali

Since arriving and writing for this blog on my first morning here in Rwanda, I have had the privilege to meet some wonderful people from here and from America. I went to a very special dinner with the Stakeholders of the film festival on Friday night. Met the woman who organizes and runs the Academy Awards night every year, Ellen Harrington, met a local businessman, Amin Gafaranga, who owns two coffee shops and wants to be a producer, met Eric Kabera the man who has organized the Rwanda International Film Festival and met a director from Kenya, Kenneth Olembo. I also met Shirley Neal from the Africa Channel in the USA who is in charge of Programming and Production.

This was a wonderful dinner and introduction to all those who are most interested in the film industry growing and becoming a viable part of the Rwandan economy.

On Saturday, I had the privilege of sharing what I know about creating independent films and TV with some very eager young filmmakers here. What was immediately observable from these students is the understanding that finding the money was truly the hardest part of their filmmaking careers. They gobbled up my stories of how I helped find the money to finance Saints and to purchase the filming rights to the John Kiriamiti books. I passed on my experiences and what I knew and offered up the best text I know on the subject. I truly hope this helps them open the door to financing their own Rwandan films.

The class was a truly rewarding experience for me. But before the class, I sat down and watched a local film named Kinyarwanda (the name of their native Bantu language). Although it is another film about the genocide that happened here for 100 days in 1994, it has a take on it like none other I have seen. The makers of this film let us hear the voices of some of the perpetrators of the genocide crimes. Never before have I been exposed to their viewpoint. And even though I felt this could have been explored even deeper, it was enough to expose me to the “other side” of this horrendous insanity that was methodically perpetrated for 100 days.

That evening, last night in fact, was the official launch of the 7th edition of the Rwandan International Film Festival. Although small in scope, it is rich in culture. After experiencing the Academy Award nominated short film Na Wewe (which just blew me away!) I got to see a wonderfully entertaining film entitled Africa United and the amazing Rwandan dances that have been performed here for several hundreds of years before and after the movies. Wow! There I was sitting under the stars of the African sky watching the old and new of Rwanda and Africa. Unforgettable. I feel so very privileged and honoured to experience such an amazing night.

Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, doesn’t have the bustle and energy of Nairobi. It’s a smaller city that is clean and well organized. But it seems as though Kigali has experienced somewhat of a pendulum effect. The anarchy and lawlessness of the genocide was met with a police state. Every kilometer there are two army personnel posted with machine guns on the main roads. Police abound and heavy finds and sentences are associated with such simple things as throwing trash on the ground like a candy wrapper. And, although I am not a supporter of litter, even as small as a candy wrapper, I am certain I can’t support the heavy penalties that are associated with such “illegal” acts. Police states never succeed and Rwanda will at some point have to pull back its long arm of the law and let the people be freer without allowing anarchy ever creeping in again. But then again, there is the other argument of whether it was a police state before the genocide. Was that indeed what perpetrated the insanity to begin with? I have no first hand knowledge of Rwanda at that time but I do know that the Hutu tribe overthrew the predominant ruling Tutsi tribe in a violent manner. Was there then a police state or a militant state that perpetrated the genocide?

Nairobi may not be as clean and pretty, but it is full of life. And to me, that is far more important that the surface appearance. What is the underlying current of life of a culture? That’s the dynamic to be looked for and understood. Not the superficial presentation that covers up something that may be wrong or antipathetic to life.

Alright, enough of my speculation and philosophizing. Let’s get down to brass tacks, the truth is I have met some very wonderful people here. They are friendly and open to learning anything they can to build their nation. To make Rwanda a model society to be looked upon with pride and respect. That, above all, is the good that has been given birth too in the aftermath of such atrocity. The individuals I have met have a vision, a united vision of a model society. I will support them with all my heart.

Yes, a coffee shop in Kigali, Rwanda

Traditional Rwandan dancing performed under the stars!

On the same stage the launch of the Rwandan International Film Festival, Eric Kabera who has organized this event, gives a welcoming speech to all in attendance.