Karamoja City Warriors

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Karamoja Faces - 15 mins - EN Subtitles.

This Educational Animated Short Film is created from the animated sections of 'Karamoja City Warriors' and is designed for younger viewers - ages 5 to 13.

Film Synopsis

As a result of 30 years of tribal conflict and famine the women of Karamojaland have started trafficking children to the city for begging in order to survive. Described by the City Council of Kampala as the ‘Karamoja Phenomenon’, the Government of Uganda and UNICEF estimates up to 2500 Karamojong are on the streets of Kampala - of which 90% are women with small children.

This documentary film follows the story of Lucia with her children in Kampala and their return to Karamojaland. We talk to the City Council in Kampala, the MP for central Karamojaland, elders from the village and let the women who are trafficking the children justify themselves.

The film is combined with a 15 minute animated story, which is from the child’s perspective. Animated pictures and story boards were created by Karamojong children from Kisenyi Ghetto, Kampala.

Read the article that inspired the film: Removing Karamojong for CHOGM

Background information

More than 3 decades of armed inter-tribal cattle raiding and yearly famine were the initial factors for this exodus to the city. In recent years, however, thanks to a new Government Disarmament Program (started 2002) and the UN ‘World Food Program’, the situation in Karamojaland has improved significantly. But, these improvements have been slow to happen, allowing time for the women to get to know the city and to start trafficking children for begging.

In the old days it was the men who were responsible for looking after the family and gaining wealth through cattle raiding. Now, with the cattle raiding days coming to an end, it is the women who are taking the initiative.

About the film making:

   The whole project was designed to cost as little as possible, to demonstrate that animation and video can be an affordable method of communication for tribal people in the developing world. For example: we realised it was not necessary to shoot in HD or widescreen, as our target audience in East Africa mostly have the old style (4:3) television sets.

Despite initial reticence towards filming, the Karamojong of Kisenyi Ghetto quickly realised the film would help to dispel the idea that the Karamojong are a useless and backward tribe.

For the main character in the real life sections of the film Lucia Nayep was perfect; she had never been to the city before and could express herself with confidence. She was 24 years old, and, despite the fact she had borrowed two children from an uncle in Karamojaland, she seemed a typical, honest and caring mother. This was important, as it would balance the portrayal of the Karamojong women.

For the animation, we made sure the camera had a stop motion facility, as this would give the street children the chance to see instant results from their work. By organising painting workshops under a shelter in the ghetto we could let the children express themselves more easily than with straight interviews. Then, by simply cutting out the pictures and moving them bit by bit, we could assemble the animation without too much technical difficulty. Some of the animation was created within the Ghetto using rubbish from the surrounding area.

The small amount of money generated by the film has been used to help equip a music and video editing studio in Karamojaland - ‘Seed recording studio’. The aim of the studio is to allow the Karamojong to preserve their traditional songs, and also to create new music.

Director & editor...

   Simon Bird is a fine art painter, 40 years old.  He specializes in the interaction with different cultures, using art as a vehicle with which to communicate and promote understanding. He has been working with the Karamojong for 3 years, setting up arts based development programs, giving training, conducting research and painting.

   After Art College, Simon worked with problem children for Gloucester Arts Centre, creating animation that was later shown on the TV program ‘Rolf Harris’s Cartoon club’. For 15 years, on and off, he has travelled to many of the poorest countries in the world, interacting and painting with the local people. Inspired from his travels, Simon started the website 'Travelartist.info' to promote the use of art for raising awareness about the developing world.

• Website - www.travelartist.info
• Contact - simoncbird@hotmail.com

Assitant director...

Simon Lokai has lived in Kisenyi Ghetto for 7 years. He has worked for 2 years with an NGO registering women and children for school and medical treatment, and for 3 years with Travelartist.info as a translator and research assistant. In 2007 he started a business initiative called ‘Karamoja Design’, employing the street women to make traditional Karamojong jewellery instead of begging. Now, the business includes a music studio ‘Seed Recording Studio’ and is based in Moroto.

Simon Lokai is 28 years old, his father is Karamojong and his mother is Turkana. Before his parents died he was lucky enough to receive schooling in Nairobi, so he can speak English, Kiswahili, Karamojong and Turkana. Simon is also, a talented song writer and musician. All the sound tracks for the animation are from his first album ‘Da Forgotten Warriors’, promoting peace and unity in Karamojaland, released in 2009.

• Website - Karamoja Design a development initiative in Uganda.
• Contact Simon Lokai - karamojadesign@hotmail.com