Watatu (Kenya, 2015)
Watatu which means “Three” in Swahili is a film about the conflict between the coastal and up-country communities in Mombasa through youth radicalization. It is the story of two best friends [Jack and Salim] and Salim’s nephew Yusuf a university graduate without a job. Salim married and living with his domineering mother-in-law discovers his best friend from childhood moving in to the empty apartment next door. Jack has just returned from Nairobi with his own wife and mother-in-law. Their initial delight at this happy coincidence is quickly challenged when the two mother-in-laws come to blows. Lack of Job and perceived discrimination leading Yusuf to radicalization and eventually to a desperate and tragic act.
At this point the film morphs into a documentary, we see real people in Mombasa assume the roles of major actors and then given a chance to see if they can change the story. The film then turns in a new direction – written entirely by the citizens of Mombasa themselves –to have a new ending for Watatu.
