Jumping into Life is a feature documentary whose main characters are young adults attending the school of arts Kuruka Maisha. Directed and filmed by young people from the same social background, the film offers an intimate and intense look at the lives of young people in the slums of Nairobi. It shows all the joy and pleasure they experience discovering their talents as entertainers, but also suggests the complexity and sometimes their disappointment when they are faced with the expectations and dreams they had imagined this new profession would offer them.
Collection Africalia Productions
Presentation of the partners
Kuruka Maisha is an arts school for street children. It was developed on the premise that artistic activities help Street Children in numerous ways. The school offers classes in visual arts and performing arts such as Acrobatics, African traditional and contemporary dance, Capoiera, Drama, Fine art and Music. Each class has very specific objectives and priorities and a well defined pedagogical approach. Artistic activities help the social workers to establish the contact with the children in the street while on the other hand these activities have an important impact on the physical and mental condition of the children.
Mwelu Foundation is a youth organisation based in Mathare Valley, an informal settlement in Nairobi. It trains some youngsters in photography and video and ensures that they remain in school and attend classes regularly. They have set up a library and are taking positive steps to improve their livelihoods by building essential life skills. Through their initiatives they also hope that they can begin to displace the myth that slums like Mathare are dead-end places with no potential or home-grown talent. More info about Mwelu Foundation.
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Price: 10,00 €
If you want to buy the DVD, send an email to: africalia@africalia.be
Technical datasheet
A DOCUMENTARY BY Mwelu Foundation & Kuruka Maisha Foundation WRITTEN BY Elijah Mumo, Grace Kinya, James Otieno, Jesse Salem Ng’ang’a, Lucy Roby, Nicholas Balongo, Rachael Ouko DIRECTED BY Jes’se Salem Ng’ang’a & Grace Kinya PRODUCED BY Africalia IN COLLABORATION WITH Atelier Graphoui WITH THE SUPPORT OF DGD. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THE PRODUCTION AND THIS DVD POSSIBLE, IN PARTICULAR : all the youngsters and teachers of Kuruka Maisha, Lucy Roby, Boni Katei and Dan Oloo and Antony Mwangi of Medeva, Nina Ogot, Adam Chienjo, Kaboge Wycliffe Chagala, Toby Amani (the guitarist), Yazmany Arboleda, Charlotte Morantin, Patricia Van de Velde, the whole team of Africalia Bjorn Maes, Mirko Popovitch, Frédéric Jacquemin, Dorine Rurashitse, Paul Lira, Audrey Brisack, the whole team of Graphoui, Christian Coppin, Sébastien Demeffe, Laszlo Umbreit, Ellen Meiresonne, Geneviève Duckerts, Rosa Spaliviero, Romain Assenat, Pierre de Bellefroid, Aline Moens, Patrick Theunen, Didier Spirlet, Jacques Faton, Lou Vernin, Sammy Baloji & Leo, Polymorfilms, Simon Arazi, Nicolas Van Kerckhove, Bart Ouvry, the Ambassador of Belgium in Kenya and the entire team.
