PROCMURA had the opportunity to attend the premier of, ‘An African Answer’, a film created by FLTfilms (For the Love of Tomorrow films), and directed by Dr. Alan Channer. The premier which was held on Friday, 11th June 2010 at the Amani Room, in Nairobi’s Serena Hotel, was hosted by the Nairobi Peace Initiative. It managed to draw a sizeable crowd especially given that the premier date coincided with the kick off date of the Worldcup football tournament in South Africa.
The guest of honour was none other than Mr. Francis Kimemia, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security of the Republic of Kenya. Other dignitaries in attendance included Sheikh Adan Wachu, General Secretary Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM), Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, Ecumenical Special Envoy to Sudan for All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) to name but a few. PROCMURA was represented by its Literature and Communications Officer, Mr. Robert Mwanyumba.
The participants, who were treated to a pre-screening cocktail, enjoyed the opportunity to intermingle with Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, the main characters in the film, together with the film director, Dr. Alan Channer. After which Ms. Florence Mpaayei, Executive Director of the Nairobi Peace Initiative-Africa, graciously welcomed the invited guests to have their seats for the actual screening of the film. In the process, she thanked each and every guest for attending the screening and called attention to the importance of peace building despite the grim situation in Africa. She also mentioned the Worldcup in passing, saying that the opportunity to tell a different African story was now at hand.
Dr. Alan Channer also had an opportunity to address the audience before the actual premier, talking of the inspiration he had received to shoot this particular film. He mentioned that ‘An African Answer’ was a follow up of ‘The Imam and the Pastor’ a film which was shot in Nigeria. He explained how the current film was shot in Kenya and how the events of the Post-Elections Violence now popularly known in Kenya as (PEV) had been core to the filming process. The film presented a peculiar challenge because events could not have been manipulated by the filmmakers and the script kept on evolving, through an unpredictable sequence of events.
The showing of the film drew from the experiences of Sheikh Ashafa and Pastor James from Nigeria, who came to Kenya to seek to broker peace in one of the most affected areas of the PEV, the Rift Valley. Their mission was to reunite a divided Kalenjin and Kikuyu community. The Imam and Pastor sought to bring the two groups together, through a reconciliation and peace building regime that then Kalenjins and Kikuyus had instituted for themselves.
True to the name ‘An African Answer’, the events of the film revolved around the communities sorting out their differences in a manner which reflected their personal and communal values. The film indeed set the ball rolling for intrinsic questions on the nature of security and of a people violated. Neighbours and friends who turned against each other because of repressed animosity, a boiling point of a people whose hopes and aspirations were dashed and an eventual momentary state of calm with a tense peace and an uncertain tomorrow.
The premier received a hearty clap from the audience who enjoyed every bit of it. This led to a question and answer period, presided over by a panel which consisted of Imam Ashafa, Pastor James, Mr. Kimemia (Permanent Secretary), Sheikh Wachu and Dr. Alan Channer. The moderator of the session was Rev. Dr. Kobia.
The enthralling session brought debate back and forth on the way forward in terms of conflict resolution, reconciliation and healing. Key issues on security were also addressed as were the ethnic dimensions of conflicts, and their implications to the wider society. Ethnic in these terms also reflected the religious dimension of conflicts and the peace building process associated with it.
