Karamojaland is a district covering most of north-eastern Uganda which has been plagued by poverty, cattle-rustling and revenge killings for decades. The situation is so bad by now that the women have taken to sending their children to the faraway Ugandan capital of Kampala for begging.
This film in an innovative look at the situation facing the children and their carers on the streets of Kamapala, and also follows them back to their homeland when the authorities remove them before the Common Wealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2007.
The documentary is partially verite-style, with interviews with the kids, parents and city officials; and partially animated, using drawings made by the kids themselves. The documentary is not judgmental, which it easily could have been, but simply tries to help the people involved tell their own stories.
Why are parents sending their kids on to the dangerous roads of Kampala? What do the kids think about it? What are Government officials doing about the situation? These are some of the questions that the documentary lets the people answer.
The documentary was made by Simon Bird, an artist and independent film-maker, with the help of his interpretor Simon Lokai. To find out more see some of the interesting articles on the Travel Artist website, which are well worth your time to follow up on.
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Some Stills from the Documentary
