This is a story that was easy to do because I only had to consult my real life experiences. As an immigrant to the United States, Bongoland reflects a lot of what I either experienced or saw a lot of my friends go through. It is a true reflection of an authentic experience told through a very sensitive account.
It is a story of perseverance and victory as the main character comes to terms with reality. It is agood story because it shows the people in the developing countries who are lined up to come to America that life in the United States is not as easy as it seems.
The main character comes out as a hero in the end as he finds a solution to his predicament. After trying all avenues he asks himself a basic question, “Would you rather be a well fed slave or a hungry free man”. He then makes the right decision.
What makes Bongoland an even more special story, it is a story partly told in Swahili. This is a language that is spoken by over 100 million people in the world and yet there only less than 10 movies ever made in this language. As a director I am determined to break this trend and use the language even in future projects.