African Folktales Reimagined Review… “Could have been more exciting”

Year: 2023
Genre: Tradition, Family, Relations, Girly, Fantasy, Mystery, Anthology, Drama
Cast: Kababiito Tracy, Michael Wawuyo Jr, Michael John Wawuyo, Habiba Ummi Mohammed, Adam Garba, Sani Mu’azu, Trevor Jones Kamau, Sarah Hassan, Lucarelli Onyango, Saed Vilaly, Fatimatou Saleh, Jene Mwalimu, Rahele Matete, Simphiwe Dana, Zikhona Bali
Directors: Loukman Ali, Korede Azeez, Voline Ogutu, Mohamed Echkouna, Walt Mzengi Corey, Gcobisa Yako
Writers: Loukman Ali, Korede Azeez, Voline Ogutu, Mohamed Echkouna, Connor Syrios, Walt Mzengi Corey, Rebecca Mzengi Corey, Gcobisa Yako
Cinematographers: Loukman Ali, Baba Agba, Enos Olik, Sheldon Chau, Konstantinos Koukoulios, Motheo Moeng
Summary: An anthology of six stories showcasing the rich cultural heritage of East, West, and Southern Africa

Overall Rating: —
African Folktales Reimagined (AFR) was a very creative initiative that gave us a taste of different folktales from various parts of the continent. Due to the fact that we couldn’t really grasp some concepts based on cultural differences, we decided not to rate this movie out of respect.
Overall, the narratives told were ok without having a wow factor
~Yours To Explore~

Delicious
—AFR was a great compilation of fantasy, mysticism, and female-centered tales; we had the opportunity of hearing unfamiliar stories from Mauritania, Tanzania, and Uganda.
We loved the freedom each director had to explore what was dear to them, e.g. ‘Katera of the Punishment Island’ dealt with sanctions inflicted on pregnant women out of wedlock, ‘Katope’ was a girl growing up in a drought land with powers to bring a change, and ‘MaMlambo’ addressed the issue of gender-based violence
—The film that stood out for us was ‘Anyango & the Ogre’🤩 It truly embraced the folktale spirit by opening up with a young boy Otis (Trevor Kamau) who was reading a book to his siblings, then we got transported into the illustrated narrative.
The story took a folktale and transformed it with a contemporary flavor using different symbols (e.g. blue and gray zones) to send a message we could resonate with. Anyone could identify with Anyango’s struggles and her imprisoned soul, plus the ogre’s characteristics matched the evil we see today.
‘Enmity Djinn’, ‘Halima’s Choice’, and ‘Katera’ also stepped up their games by taking common topics like arranged marriage and haunting spirits to push for women’s empowerment
—When it came to cinematography and editing, ‘MaMlambo’ and ‘Katera’ gracefully plunged us into the majestic settings surrounded by the river.
Katera’s CGI work could not go unnoticed 👌🏾
—It was quite interesting that the forest, desert, and river were the dominant environments of the anthology; an ingenious way to reinforce the prevailing locations where folk stories were told back in the days

Bland
—It appeared that AFR assembled its movies from most comprehensible to least comprehensible ’cause we quickly connected with ‘Katera’ (the first story) then by the time we reached to ‘MaMlambo’ (the last story), we were a bit confused. Again, this could be due to cultural differences which we totally respect
—Some short films (e.g. Halima’s Choice) weren’t told in a folktale manner, they simply appeared like regular stories
—Acting was generally casual, not striking; none of the actors really left an unforgettable impression so much that we were unmoved in the end

Viewers’ Guide
Language none Violence Intimacy none