In 2007, the violently disputed general election in Kenya divided people along tribal lines, and for the first time, many urban Kenyans had to identify their tribe.
Almost 10 years later, many fear Kenya could be becoming more tribally polarized than ever before. Working with two primary schools in Nairobi and Mombasa, directors Wanuri Kahiu and Nick Reding intimately explore issues surrounding national identity. Using games and interviews the filmmakers ask 8-11 year olds what they understand about discrimination, tribe and religion, and how, when they are discriminated themselves, do they feel about their own identity.
Inspired by Jane Elliot’s “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes” experiment, the film delicately picks at the religious and tribal tensions that exist in Kenya, by creating an exercise in which the class is arbitrarily divided into groups. The children narrate the experiences and talk about the lessons they learn as they themselves experience the anger, frustration and powerlessness of prejudice.
Direction: Wanuri Kahiu and Nick Reding
Script: Wanuri Kahiu, Nick Reding
Original Title: Who Am I?
Original Languages: engleski, svahili
Subtitles: engleski
Film Production Country: Kenija