Animated Documentary Film 2009

Filming took place between November 2008 to February 2009 in Uganda.
By Simon Lokai & Simon Bird.

The film has two simultaneous stories.
One is Animated the other is Real Life.

The Animated Story gives an introduction to the problems of Karamojaland.
The story then follows the experiences of a child being taken to the city to beg. Eventually the child is returned to his mother in Karamojaland.

The Real Life Story also starts in the city.
We are introduced to a young Karamojong woman called, "Lucia", who has just arrived in Kampala. She has come with two of her own children and two children borrowed from an aunt. We learn about life in the ghetto and how all the women have to pull together in order to survive.

The second half of the film is based in Karamojaland.
We walk to a set of villages called Lokopo where many of the women and children in the ghetto originate from. A village discussion is organised to address the problems of trafficking small children for begging.

Animation

The story boards and paintings used in the animation were created by women and children in Kisenyi Ghetto, Kampala.

We want the film to raise the question :

Is this method of begging simply a last resort for a desperate people,
or,
is it on the increase because networks are forming and the word is spreading that this kind of begging actually works ?

For more background information about the Karamoja issue -

Article: Removing Karamojong for CHOGM 19/10/2007.