White lies make better stories than black truths – Bea Wangondu
How do you make the perfect cup of tea? Research says, heat the pot, add boiling water on leaves (one per person, one for the pot) or teabags, steep for 4-5 minutes, add milk after tea (according to scientific study). What is not included in the process is history of land theft, sexual and physical violence against women; the poorly paid ‘hidden workers’ who perform back-breaking work for low wages under oppressive conditions. I certainly don’t mean this opening paragraph to seem flippant, just simply highlight that, like so many things related to the food and drink we consume in the west, we are often ignorant of the brutal cost it has on people in the places where it is produced.
Kenya’s tea production dates back to the early 1900s when British settlers brought tea plants over to try and replicate the success of plantations in Indian and Ceylon. By the 1920s commercial companies such as Brooke Bond and the East Africa Tea Company started ‘acquiring’ vast areas of land to convert to tea production. This acquisition came at a cost to the local population who were often forcibly removed with no power to halt the march of colonialism that was hungry for land and greedy for profit. Brooke Bond was bought by Unilever in 1984 for 478.5 million dollars.
Kikuyu Land, co-directed by Andrew H. Brown and Bea Wangondu, and follows two principle stories: Mr. Mungai’s claim for justice with the National Land Commission over the land taken from his family, and local news reporter Bea Wangondu who is investigating the issue and not only uncovers some horrible truths about the history of tea production in Kenya’s highlands but also how her own family were involved. Because this story of David versus Goliath is fact-based, it is not too much of a spoiler to say that sadly, and not uncommonly, Goliath is the winner (though certainly not morally). There is also the charismatic Stephen, the young son of a tea plantation worker. He dreams or being a photographer and is fascinated by insects, especially ants. His story is bitter-sweet with the possibility of his dreams being overridden by the possibility of ending up working on the plantation to help support his family. There is a beautiful drone shot of Stephen and his friends running in silhouette over the hills, the innocence of youth not yet totally ruined by the harsh reality of life on the slopes.
The soil is fertile but the land is cursed.
This is the chilling quote on the poster; words spoken by former plantation worker Jecinta Gathoni. What she says highlights the subject of mistreatment of workers by the Team Managers who oversee the scores of people who are plucking off the tips of the tea plants and putting them in the large wicker baskets they carry on their backs. This is work predominantly done by women and it is not just the long hours of back-breaking for low wages that they have to suffer but, as with so many human rights violations, these are women who face beatings and rape. Jecinta’s account is to camera as she no longer afraid to speak out as she now own her own small parcel of land but there are other chilling accounts of poor treatment from people whose identities have been protected. Bea Wangondu herself is also partially shunned by her family and warned by an officer of the Kenyan Special Branch (his identity hidden), and this is set against news reports of journalists and government critics being abducted or killed, and extreme violence against protestors in a crack down by military and police forces acting on the orders of President Ruto. The shot of tear gas dissolving into mist above the lush tea slopes is particularly haunting.
During filming Wangondu makes repeated attempts to speak to, and get comment from, multinational corporation Unilever who own large tracts of tea producing land, but they either give generic responses or no comment at all. One of the final quotes says that during production of the film Unilever sold its tea business in Kenya for 5.1 billion dollars.
Watching Kikuyu Land made me want to find out much more about the tea I drink and certainly made whether I put the milk in first or second extremely insignificant.
Kikuyu Land is currently in cinemas so check here, or your local listings, to see where it is playing. You can find more information on supporting Kenyan tea workers via the ETP website.
Kikuyu Land: Website | Instagram
Released through TRIFILM Inc.
Review by Paul F Cook
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