Kakuma My City

“Kakuma My City” is a documentary about Kenyans and refugees building communities of mutual support and respect, as told by the communities themselves. The film follows Anne Nyandeng, a young woman recently arrived from South Sudan, and Ignatius Lokitare, an older, visually impaired man from the Turkana community. Anne and Ignatius take the viewer on a tour of the diverse communities they call their own and introduce us to the many ways that both the Kenyan and refugee community are already benefiting from working together as neighbours.

The documentary was directed by Harrison Thane for a DFID program called  SPARK (Support and Protection for Affected Refugees in Kenya) which seeks to integrate refugees into Kenyan society through skills training. The goal of the documentary was to show how these different cultures – refugees and Kenyans – can both benefit from their unique ingenuity and creativity.

Harrison and the production team spent 4 months researching and filming the stories with the different communities in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, to capture the true power and potential of the people living both in and around the camp. The refugee production team was able to compellingly push back against stereotypes that create obstacles in the search for solutions.

Funded by the Department For International Development (DFID).

 “Kakuma My City” was the winner of the Hong Kong International Refugee Film Festival.