Africa United

If you’re a football fan, the memories of 2010 World Cup in South Africa aren’t likely to be fondly cherished, unless of course you are Spanish. However, Debs Gardener-Paterson’s Africa United is definitely something that will put a smile on your face, and try to banish some of the more painful memories of Britain’s disgrace.

In recent years, films have shown us the civil war in Rwanda (Hotel Rwanda), the illegal smuggling of diamonds (Blood Diamond) and the terrors of Idi Amin’s regime (The Last King of Scotland); not a lot of African stories to leave the cinema smiling about, until now. This incredible story follows the journey of three Rwandan kids, who set out on a 3’000 mile journey to South Africa, hoping to make the auditions for the opening ceremony of the Fifa World Cup. On their journey through seven different countries, the banterous Dudu (Ndayambaje), his younger sister Beatrice (Kintu) and the middle-class, aspiring footballer Fabrice (Nsengiyumva) are joined by the boy soldier Foreman George (Yves Dusenge) and sex worker Celeste (Sherrie Silver). The journey to South Africa takes a terrible turn for the worst when they get on the wrong bus and end up in war stricken Congo.

Despite the “feel good, family adventure” vibe that this film evokes, you’d be foolish to assume that this film is just for kids; the darker themes of Africa’s current social problems of child soldiers, sex trafficking and HIV lend themselves more to a more mature adult audience. Nonetheless, these aspects do not overshadow the winning testimony of the power of positive thinking and perseverance.

Jordan Maciel