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War Witch, a Heartbreaking Tale Mixture of Poverty, Coltan and Kalashnikovs
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It is a fact that Africa is the most forgotten land in our planet and that our media look at this continent only when a major disaster happens. Africa is not a cool subject, we already know. It is not very trendy to talk about deeply entrenched wars or chronic poverty among its population.
Partly to remedy this oversight and to remind us this shameful truth, now we have the premiere of War Witch, a film nominated as Best Foreign Language Film in the Oscars 2013, among many other international prizes.
The story, written and directed by Canadian Kim Nguyen, comes as a blow to our consciences. He sets the action somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa where Komona (Rachel Mwanza), a 12 year old girl lives peacefully with her parents in a small, remote village until one of the many armies which abound in the area kidnaps and forces her to fight as a soldier.
The first rule Komona learns is that she has to love her Kalashnikov. With this arm, she will have to survive in the jungle and in a war for the control and trade of Coltan. This mineral that is rare in nature has become extremely valuable for the development of the global electronics industry. According to mining specialists, 80% of known Coltan reserves are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a fact that has brought to this country a permanent state of war since 1998; war leaving a balance of more than 5.5 million victims, the largest number of deaths in war since the Second World War.
Because of her ability to keep herself alive, Komona is named "Witch War". The only escape from her suffering will be friendship with Magician (Serge Kanyinda), an albino boy of 15 who wishes to marry her. They both will try to escape from this hell.
This moving Canadian drama is a portrait that denounces the hardships of childhood and the struggle for survival of child soldiers. The whole story is shown with great emotion through the voice, the eyes and experiences of the young protagonist. But it is also a love story between two teenage protagonists, and a love letter, as a fable, from a young mother to her unborn child. There, she confesses the truth about her past with exceptional affection and honesty.
It is a lesson of life and hope about the will and enormous strength of the human spirit, and a story that will touch your heart.
Texts: José Pica. facebook@cinemaperaestudiants.cat
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