This Sunday is the Oscars. It is watched by hundreds of millions around the world. While I do not know how many will be watching the Oscars in Tanzania it made me curious about movies made in Tanzania or about Tanzania. I came up with 2.
Though there are over 100 million people in the world who speak Swahili there have only been a handful of movies made in that language. One of those movies is “Bongoland” made by Josiah Kibira who did not see his first television program until he was 23 years old because there were not television stations in Tanzania when he was growing up, Bongoland deals with the issues that come up when the dreams for a better life in America collide with the realities of everyday life for an undocumented worker
But probably the most famous movie dealing with Tanzania is “Hatari” Starring none other than the Duke himself, John Wayne. A group of men trap wild animals in Africa and sell them to zoos. Will the arrival of a female wildlife photographer change their ways? You now have the plot of Hatari. But what is really great about the movie is the photography in Tanzania. And did you know there is actually a Hatari Lodge located close to the setting of the movie?
So after you finish seeing all of the movies nominated this year and before the next crop of Oscar contenders come up check out some movies with a Tanzanian theme. Who knows it just might inspire you!