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Kenyans went to the polls Wednesday to vote on a draft constitution. The new constitution was introduced in the wake of violence which followed the disputed elections in 2007. One of the flashpoints for the violence in 2007 was the massive shantytown of Kibera. Now a new film tells the story of the post-election violence through the eyes of those who witnessed it. The World’s Andrea Crossan has the story. Download MP3

Andrea Crossan’s report was funded in part by a fellowship from the International Reporting Project.

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DAVID BARON: Kenyans went to the polls today to vote on a new constitution, one that would rein in presidential powers. It was a largely peaceful vote. That’s in contrast to the presidential election of 2007. That vote was followed by weeks of bloodshed. One of the flashpoints for the violence was the massive shantytown of Kibera. As the World’s Andrea Crossan reports, a new film tells the story of the post-election turmoil through the eyes of those who witnessed it.

ANDREA CROSSAN:  The film is called Togetherness Supreme. It follows a familiar Hollywood plotline. Kamau is an artist and a dreamer. Otieno, a musician and a hustler. They both fall in love with Alice, a preacher’s daughter. But this is Kibera slum. So the three people in this love triangle are from different tribes. In the weeks after the 2007 presidential elections, Kibera was torn apart by fighting among tribes. This is the backdrop for the love story. In this scene Kamau and Otieno go to a rally where a charismatic politician draws them in.

WERMAN:  We can’t be lazy. We can’t be idle. We must be the [INDISCERNABLE] we want to see amongst the youth of this wonderful country.

CROSSAN: Togetherness Supreme is the latest project of Hot Sun Films. The independent film company is based in Kibera. It’s a film company and an educational foundation. Pamela Collett directs the foundation. She says that Kibera was the natural place to set up shop.

PAMELA COLLETT: We found right away that there was a wealth – an incredible untapped resource. It’s an unusual place even if you’ve been around Nairobi. It’s made up of 14 villages. People kind of jammed together in substandard living conditions but somehow making things work even without basic services. And also people from all different tribes, all different religions. So this is a fantastic wonderful place to gather stories.

CROSSAN: Hot Sun offers training to residents of Kibera. And then the trainees get hands-on experience volunteering on film productions. Kay-fah Oluoch is one of the volunteers. He helped to write the script for Togetherness Supreme. Oluoch describes the Kibera he saw in 2007.

KAY-FAH OLUOCH: Bonfires were everywhere. At night there was just fighting, fighting. Police harassing people, killing people. Beating you for fighting for what is right.

CROSSAN: It was that violence and chaos that’s recreated in Togetherness Supreme. And Pamela Collett says that even though the film is set against the backdrop of post-election violence, it’s not trying to preach.

COLLETT: We’re not sitting down saying oh you should reconcile, or oh let’s discuss this. No, we’re working together on the real life stories and creating something new.

CROSSAN: Of course, shooting a film in a slum isn’t new. Slumdog Millionaire was set in Mumbai’s slums and City of God was filmed in Rio’s favelas. Script writer Kay-fah Oluoch says that Kibera also has a lot to offer film makers.

OLUOCH:  They should look at people in Kibera as a gold mine. The question is, can they dig the gold mine.

CROSSAN: Togetherness Supreme has been shown in slums across Kenya. And it will be screened in local schools starting this week. For The World, I’m Andrea Crossan, Kibera, Kenya.

BARON: If you want to see clips from the film, we’ve posted them at TheWorld.org. Andrea’s report was funded in part by a fellowship from the International Reporting Project.

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