From Vioja Mahakamani to Daktari March 2018 | Page 26

Film is one of the most
under-exploited economic
fields in Kenya, benefitting
only a few as compared
to advanced economies.
Having been in the field
for over 20 years, Joseph
Mucheru, under his
mainstreaming film and
art into the national
development narrative,”
said Mutua.
Board (KFCB), Mucheru’s
firm embarked on a
countrywide mission to
ensure that the Kenyan
story is told in the right
way by Kenyans, not by
foreigners.
His sentiments are
echoed by Mr Mucheru
who averred: “Kenya is a
country full of talent, great
stories with a lot of cultural
heritage and diversity.
Such stories have not been
told, and the few, which
have been told, have
been done by foreigners
who greatly misrepresent
them.”
“There are hundreds of
thousands of untold stories
in Kenya. Through the
partnership with KFCB, we
decided to tell the Kenyan
story the Kenyan way
through Kenyans.”
production firm Media
Vision, decided to fill in
the gap by giving back to
the society. This is how the
idea of Sinema Mashinani
was born.
With a green light and
a partnership deal from
Dr Ezekiel Mutua’s
Kenya Film Classification
The initiative was started
with objectives of
appreciating the Kenyan
culture and its diversity,
promoting consumption of
local film content, capacity
building and re-energising
the film industry in Kenya.
According to KFCB boss,
Sinema Mashinani was
aimed at celebrating
the Kenyan culture
and highlighting the
authenticity of the culture
to the rest of the world.
“Sinema Mashinani is what
Nollywood is to Nigeria.
We want to build capacity
in the grassroots and
ensure that our people
benefit from the film
“We want to support
films that promote
our cultural diversity.
We are committed to
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industry. They should see it
as a commercial enterprise
instead of the current
perspective where people
see it as a leisure activity,”
he adds.
The programme started
with training of willing
people in all the 47
counties as well as
organising the volunteers
into groups that would
drive the agenda forward.
Apart from that, KFCB
promised to establish
art centres in all the 47
counties by the time the
programme is spread
in the whole country.
The art centres will
entail a production van
with equipment, public
screening and training
facilities according to Mr
Mucheru.
This started in Isiolo where
more than 500 participants
turned up. The trainers
had to seek help from
Isiolo Boys where they
sought accommodation.
By the end of the training,
the group shot a Borana-
themed movie, Simale
(My Only One), that
featured 41 cast who were
appearing in front of the
camera for the first time.