Alexia Lawson | Contributor
Featured image: The movie shows that pawns can become queens with some self-belief and the courage to believe. | Courtesy of Queen of Katwe
The classic tale of rags to riches has found its home on Ugandan soil. Queen of Katwe tells the true story of a Ugandan chess prodigy, Phiona Mutesi. The young mastermind, played by debuting actress Madina Nalwanga, lives in the impoverished slum of Katwe within Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
Struggle has become a constant theme in Phiona’s life as she lives under the watchful eye of her widowed mother, played by Lupita Nyong’o. Phiona sells maize on the streets to support her family, unfortunately at the expense of her education.. However, the mundane routine of her life takes a turn when the missionary Robert Katende, played by David Oyelowo, introduces her to the world of chess.
With Phiona’s innate ability, coupled with game strategy, “checkmate!” quickly becomes her signature slogan. She easily wins local chess competitions and begins pursuing her newly realized dream of becoming an international chess champion. The financial sponsorship received through her games opens the doors for Phiona to return to school.
Although Phiona’s talent is undeniable, her confidence often fails to keep up as she grapples with believing that she is deserving of the places the game takes her. Furthermore, Phiona encounters the complexities that come with success as she scales the ranks of chess tournaments; the initial sense of accomplishment, a growing sense of apathy towards her life in Katwe and the desire for more. Nevertheless, the audience watches the rise of this affable underdog as she pursues her dreams, with her supportive community who champion her on.
The film’s cinematography does not shy away from showing the poverty of Katwe. Panning shots of the red-brown soil beneath underdeveloped housing and scenes of the vibrant, busy markets seem to highlight the ingenuity of its citizens. Perhaps the scenery serves to showcase the film’s plot, reminding viewers that the “silver-lining” can be found in unlikely places.
Queen of Katwe shines a positive light on Uganda, its people and the African continent as a whole. Criticizing this film carried a unique edge, considering growing conversations of media representations of Africa, especially as a Disney-produced film. Be it Hollywood or charity campaigns, skeptics are losing confidence in the ability of mainstream media to depict an Africa devoid of the common, oversimplified narrative. Commonly and conveniently, the second-largest continent in the world, composed of 54 sovereign and recognized countries, is mistakenly deduced to a country ridden in disease, war, famine and corruption and dependent on people, resources and institutions of the West to come “save” them.
The film’s all-black cast curbed the prevalent “white saviour” narrative, common in American cinema. The trope, characterized by a white person saving an underprivileged person of colour from their plight, even holds an exclusive Wikipedia page, with an exhaustive list of film examples. Phiona’s coach, Ugandan-born Robert Katende, filled the shoes of the film hero. Robert, who was initially a soccer coach, founded the SOM Chess Academy in Kampala’s slums where Phiona and her brother Brian attend after he noticed children watching from the sidelines during soccer matches. From enrolling Phiona in school, teaching her how to read and write, providing her with a place to stay when things were rocky at home and being an emotional rock, Robert’s character effortlessly shows Africans creating solutions for themselves.
Queen of Katwe also highlights the vast territory of the continent. In one scene, Phiona’s schoolteacher asks the class, “How many countries are there in Africa?” To the untrained ear and eye, this moment may appear insignificant. However, the amount of people in today’s society who mistake the continent for a country is alarming, with growing documentation of people in positions of influence and power falling guilty. United States Vice-President Joe Biden, Sarah Palin and rapper Rick Ross, make up some of the accused.
And despite the film being located in crime-ridden Katwe, a distinction between the poverty and wealth of Kampala is clear cut. In one scene, Phiona alongside the SOM Chess Academy attend a tournament at a boarding school in urban Kampala. Rather than sleeping in the provided twin-sized beds within the furnished room, the children from the slums find comfort sleeping together on the dorm floor, perhaps more familiar to them.
It’s worth noting that Queen of Katwe was directed by Mira Nair, an Indian-American filmmaker, who lived in Kampala for 27 years. Overall, the film will stand out for its positive representation of Uganda and women and a reminder that pawns can become queens with some self-belief and the courage to believe.
