AN ENCHANTING film about a group of soccer-mad African children determined to see the World Cup screened in Dublin last week.
Described as “a road trip through the heart of Africa”, Africa United follows three children who set off from Kigali, the Rwandan capital, to audition for the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The characters include soccer prodigy Fabrice, his best friend Dudu – who fanices himself as a top manager – and Dudu’s little sister Beatrice. An unintended detour through Congo leads them to Foreman George, a former child soldier, and their precarious journey continues.
Africa United’s storyline touches on a multitude of themes, including African storytelling; child soldiers; the election of US president Barack Obama; poverty and wealth, and HIV/Aids.
A special Dublin evening screening was arranged by Sport Against Racism Ireland (Sari) and the Africa Centre as part of Africa Day celebrations, with director Debs Gardner-Paterson taking part in a Q&A with a multi-ethnic audience, which included many youngsters who found the film especially enjoyable.
Gardner-Paterson said that with election of President Obama, and the World Cup in South Africa, it had been “a perfect moment” for a film such as Africa United to be made, and for a new Rwandan story to be told.
The kids featured in the film were “great to work with”, she said, referencing Ugandan Eriya Ndayambaje (‘Dudu’); Roger Nsengiyumva (‘Fabrice’), who was born in Rwanda and now living in Britain; Ugandan-born Sanya Joanita Kintu (‘Beatrice’); Rwandan-born Yves Dusenge (‘Foreman George’); and Sherrie Silver (‘Celeste’), also born in Rwanda and now living in Britain.
“None of those kids had ever acted on screen before,” she said. “We were looking for amazing people who could bring something to the role.”
She said that soccer, with its overwhelming popularity in Africa and the rest of the world, was “the right metaphor” for the film, and what was most vital was that African and non-African audiences could engage with the story.
“It was really important to me that it played well for both audiences, that was something we really cared about.”
The director told Metro Éireann: “We actually have a theatrical release in Africa, which means it’s getting put out in the cinemas that there are. We had the African premiere in Rwanda in November and the whole Rwandan government showed up, including the president and the first lady. That was wicked, that was really, really cool.”
