For decades, descendants of some of those who took part in the revolt have fought a largely overlooked campaign for their ancestors’ atonement and for the repatriation of their remains. Now a documentary co-directed by the German filmmaker Agnes Lisa Wegner and her Tanzanian counterpart Cece Mlay has shone a delicate light on two families’ search for answers.
“The question of ancestral remains was not something that I had thought had happened here,” said Mlay. “It almost changes your worldview about how you perceive your familial relationships.”
The documentary premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February before being shown at German cinemas. It has also had public screenings in Dar es Salaam, Songea and Meru, and there are plans for more.
“Our priority has been to make sure the film plays in the spaces where the families are from,” said Amil Shivji, a co-producer and the founder of Kijiweni Productions. “Not only to pay respect to the families alive and dead, but also to give confidence to more people to come forward and speak about potentially missing ancestors.”
