ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
The Ugandan salt lake town Katwe is haunted by the ghosts of its past. This film captures the unjust and complex world that belongs to the salt workers.

SYNOPSIS
In the Ugandan salt lake town of Katwe, the Mayor is forced to step down after allegations of election fraud in the midst of an economic crisis. For the past 40 years the deserted salt factory has cast its shadow of the unfulfilled promise of modernity over the community.

Ever since the asbestos-filled factory collapsed it has been in the center of the election promises of politicians who have vowed to rehabilitate it again and free the community from the shackles of poverty. Election promises turn into hearsay, and it’s an open secret in town that the salt lake revenues disappear without a trace through middlemen with deep pockets. The corruption permeates everyday life in Katwe and political blackmail exists side by side with deep religiosity and rumors of witchcraft.

In the foreground to the local politics stands Abooki, a single mother who provides for her three daughters through her work in the salt lake. She learned the work from her grandmother and her scars testify to the brutal working conditions. The economic crisis makes her everyday life a daily struggle, as all her living expenses are measured in the amount of salt she needs to break and sell.

ABOOKI’S WORLD is a film about people whose lives and work have historically been exploited by the powerful, whoever they may have been at any point of time in history. Through the characters in the film we get an insight into a rural reality of Uganda and Africa which don't always make it to the mainstream. Although the narrative is character driven, the focus is not on the information they provide, but rather their sorrow and joy, their silent gazes and indignation. In other words, facts and information are replaced with a kind of emotional truth, arising from real life experience.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Nima Shirali
PRODUCER Patrik Öberg
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Mónica Hernández Rejón
CO-PRODUCER Meme Kagga

WEBSITE pramfilm.se/abookis-world/