'They raped our country': documentary follows Kenyans’ fight for restitution over stolen land
Multinational tea companies still occupy ancestral highlands of communities displaced during British colonial era
TL;DR
- The documentary 'Kikuyu Land' by Bea Wangondu and Andrew H Brown addresses the restitution of ancestral lands in Kenya, taken during the British colonial era for European settlers.
- Colonial policies in 1902 legally designated fertile lands as "Crown land," leading to the violent displacement of local communities to less productive reserves.
- Despite a redistribution program initiated before independence, much land remained with the political elite and foreign corporations, including large tea plantations.
- The film features personal stories, like director Wangondu's curiosity about her grandfather's land and Mungai's quest to reclaim his family's ancestral property.
- Recent calls for redress by communities like the Kipsigis and Talai highlight ongoing concerns over forced evictions and the British government's lack of effective remedies.
- The film, which premiered at Sundance and Sheffield DocFest, aims to give voice to the experiences and histories shaped by colonial legacies.