'I know, I know, The First Grader came out late last year and has graced the local box office since around July(?)... I managed to get my hands on it only last week (for shame!!!), but it's never too late to watch a film whose major premise screams IT'S NEVER TOO LATE, is it?
Directed by Brit Justin Chadwick and written by South African Ann Peacock (known for writing the gem that is the film adaptation of A Lesson Before Dying and Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe), the film is based on the story of Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge, the now famously deceased octogenarian who pursued his right to free primary education that had been rolled out by the Kenyan government by enrolling in the first grade of Kapkenduiywo Primary School, Eldoret. This show of boldness and determination earned him a place in the Guinness World Records and a chance to address the United Nations Millennium Development Summit in New York amongst other, umm, perks - being first Standard One Student in Kenya to be Headboy, should count for something, no?. The film also attempts to add some more thematic weight to its storyline by including a sub-plot of Kimani's part in the Mau Mau uprising, the death of his wife and child and his longing to be able to read a letter of reparation written to him by the President being the motivation of his desire for education(despite him being quoted saying he went to school to learn how to read the Kikuyu Bible).
It stars Oliver Litondo as Kimani Maruge and Naomie Harris as the headteacher of Maruge's school, Jane Obinchu. Both deliver passionate and believable performances but it gets a tad bit funny listening to the almost-Kenyan-peppered-with-South-African accent Naomie Harris acquired for her role, which may be blamed on the largely South African crew used in filming. In fact, the average Kenyan viewer would find a lot of unintentionally funny things popping up - there is the obvious mis-casting of Churchill as a radio DJ/matatu conductor (he should've been cast as one of the teachers, would have created a much better comic effect) and of Vusi Kunene as Mr. Kipruto, an official in the Ministry of Education (without the accent one would expect of Mr. Kipruto). Funnier though is the déjà vu from seeing all those common faces from local shows in such a high value production - Tony Kgoroge couldn't help strike those Mother-in-Law poses every once in a while, while Melvin Alusa and Rosemary Nyambura made things all Tabasamu-esque for a second there.Perhaps the only prominent local actors/actresses I could look at without a chuckle or two were John Sibi-Okumu and Charles Ouda as the adult school's teacher.
It is hard to go wrong with a storyline such as this one that is mainly based on children and the elderly - people who can do no wrong and people looking back at all the wrongs they have committed/have been committed against them respectively. It is endearing to watch the children sing and dance, and basking in Maruge's tales of freedom fighting and watching Maruge teach one of the kids how to write the number 5. From it springs the message to the youthful majority of Kenya that it's never too late to learn from the elderly in society, especially those who experienced a good portion of both sides of 1963.They are perhaps the only ones who really know what it is we have lost and gained after independence.
The film does not shy away from exploring very sensitive topics and questions that many Kenyans and Kenyan film makers would be reluctant to discuss.The thinly veiled tribal discourse between Kipruto and Maruge as well as the entire Mau Mau sub-plot at least teases certain questions in the viewers mind such as whether the Mau Mau uprising was really a nationalist movement or a tribal reaction to the occupation of tribal land by the British (like that of the Nandi and other non-Kikuyu tribes way before 1952) catalysing Kenya's independence in the process. One also gets to ponder whether those who did not actively participate in armed independence struggle were seen as loyalists.
All in all, The Fist Grader is an indispensable reference material for anyone trying to depict the Kenyan story in film or television. It proves that Kenya is a fountain of good and intriguing stories whether based on real life or entirely fictional. In my view, if this film had a heavier Kenyan input in terms of the scripting and casting, it would have been tweaked to perfection. Perhaps, the entire film would have a totally different storyline (what with the controversies and conspiracy theories surrounding about how the government, and even Jane Obinchu herself, handled the old man as a PR vehicle). A similar storyline mirroring this one would be that of Ato Lemma Ayanu, the old Ethiopian man, brought into Kenya and paraded by folks claiming he was an ex-Mau Mau general and the PR scandal that resulted - I challenge someone to make a film on this. The film also proves that Kenya is still a great location for filming - First Grader was shot on location at Olepolos (most of y'all go there for those nyam-chom mpangos) and as a result, the cinematography is AMAZING!!!
The film does not shy away from exploring very sensitive topics and questions that many Kenyans and Kenyan film makers would be reluctant to discuss.The thinly veiled tribal discourse between Kipruto and Maruge as well as the entire Mau Mau sub-plot at least teases certain questions in the viewers mind such as whether the Mau Mau uprising was really a nationalist movement or a tribal reaction to the occupation of tribal land by the British (like that of the Nandi and other non-Kikuyu tribes way before 1952) catalysing Kenya's independence in the process. One also gets to ponder whether those who did not actively participate in armed independence struggle were seen as loyalists.
All in all, The Fist Grader is an indispensable reference material for anyone trying to depict the Kenyan story in film or television. It proves that Kenya is a fountain of good and intriguing stories whether based on real life or entirely fictional. In my view, if this film had a heavier Kenyan input in terms of the scripting and casting, it would have been tweaked to perfection. Perhaps, the entire film would have a totally different storyline (what with the controversies and conspiracy theories surrounding about how the government, and even Jane Obinchu herself, handled the old man as a PR vehicle). A similar storyline mirroring this one would be that of Ato Lemma Ayanu, the old Ethiopian man, brought into Kenya and paraded by folks claiming he was an ex-Mau Mau general and the PR scandal that resulted - I challenge someone to make a film on this. The film also proves that Kenya is still a great location for filming - First Grader was shot on location at Olepolos (most of y'all go there for those nyam-chom mpangos) and as a result, the cinematography is AMAZING!!!
I'd recommend any Kenyan who hasn't watched it to do so before 2012. It could just make you feel much better and more patriotic than those Brand Kenya ads...
7.5/10
7.5/10
