The Queen of Katwe Review

One word to describe the Queen of Katwe (QOK) is real. Many films over play or distort for cinematic appeal. Not QOK. If anything the realities of life in Katwe are underplayed, for the audience. What in the film is an alluded to, is in real life a day to day reality.

The open sewers, the crippling cost of medical care, exploitation by landlords, the daily walk to collect water, being unable to study in the evening due to the cost of paraffin. The realities of prostitution. The snippets of Luganda spoken, the shaky structures, the realities of earning an income, It’s no exaggeration. It really is that bad and even worse. Authentic.

Unlike most Disney films, this is no fairy tail, but a true story. Change the details around a bit, and it’s not just Phiona’s true story, it’s the story of many others who find hope. In Uganda, like in chess, the small one can become the big one. When life goes against us, we can reset the pieces and play again.

This is not just anecdotal, Uganda has recently been ranked the most entrepreneurial country in the entire world. True story! There are scores of people striving to lift themselves out of poverty, and many are succeeding.

Unfortunately, it’s not every bodies story. There are many forgotten, many lost and defeated, many in desperate need of hope.

Whilst this remains the case, we have a fight on our hands.

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