Twins of Mankala is a creative documentary comparing childhood socialization in Kenya and America. It was directed by Jason DaSilva and produced by In Face Films in 2006. The documentary world premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2006 in New York and was first shown on TV in 2007.
Pedagogical Use[]
The 11-minute film is recommended as an educational tool in elementary schools for youth to improve understanding for multi-generational children whose family emigrated from their home country. It also offers them the rare chance to "look at two children who are the same and different at one time, and the ways that they are shaped by the world around them" (Sasha Dees, producer Twins of Mankala).
Synopsis[]
Twins of Mankala compares a routine school day of three eight year old Kenyan girls. Eunice Waanbui is growing up in Kilo, Kenya, while the other two are twins raised in Lowell, Massachusetts. The children, who narrate the film in Kikuyu and English, reveal the differences and similarities of their experiences by allowing the audience to peek into their everyday life.
One of the similarities is that in both cultures children play mancala, a game, which thus provides a bridge between their cultures.
Director Statement[]
"Twins of Mankala carries the audience through two parallel worlds. It moves through the lives of Kenyan youth during the same hours of a single day. The first youth was born and raised in her home country of Kenya in the village of Kilo, while the other youths were born and raised in the U.S. The film weaves itself through a regular school day, comparing and contrasting the differences and similarities. As the children narrate in their spoken languages (the twins in English, the other in Kikuyu), they explain the events that take place as their day unfolds."
Jason DaSilva
Cast[]
- Kandell Polland as herself
- Kara Polland as herself
- Eunice Waanbui as herself
External Links[]
- Preview (YouTube)
- Twins of Mankala (Tribeca Film Festival)
- Twins of Mankala (Moving Images Distribution)
- Twins of Mankala (Review by Sasha Dees)
- Twins of Mankala (IMDb)
Copyright[]
© Ralf Gering
Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.