Technology and waste in our lands, our systems, our bones. Wandering our spaces, she cannot help but wonder, where is the space for healing?
There she stands, confidently, like a goddess of technological junk, surrounded by endless mountains of rubbish, plastic, stench and rare earths. An angry appeal to the world to take responsibility for the consequences of capitalism, colonialism and environmental destruction in Africa.
Terra Mater is an experimental short film from Rwandan-Swiss filmmaker Kantarama Gahigiri, that explores themes of climate change, colonialism, and transhumanism through an afro-futuristic lens. Following the film’s recent run at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Nick L’Barrow spoke with writer/director Kantarama Gahigiri about her short film!
Nick: One of the things that I was really thinking about when watch Terra Mater was how amazing films is for artists to express themes, feelings, and points of views in such unique way. So, I’m curious to find out how essential has film been for you personally to explore and express those themes and feelings?
Kantarama Gahigiri: You know, I’ve been making films everywhere. I started by interning on big studio films in New York to learn the skills. Then I went back to Europe and worked on a few things. And then I went back to East Africa in 2014, and that’s when I realised this is where I wanted to work, because this is where it was hitting home, and where I found my topics where I really had something to say.
So, I think, like, when you have this possibility, you really have a platform to bring certain thematics to light. It’s just bigger than you think. And that’s why I kind of like to also explore different genres, right? Because Terra Mater is not a pure documentary. It’s not pure science-fiction. It’s not pure fiction. But I think, let’s explore all those boxes, because we want to tell our stories the way we want to tell them.
Nick: It’s such a unique way to experience these stories as well. And for me, watching your film reminded me of Neptune Frost, in the sense of its style and themes – and which is also such a unique film that also can’t be defined by genre. So, with Terra Mater, was that always the way you wanted to approach telling this story? In a way that wasn’t defined by genre.
Kantarama Gahigiri: Side note! Neptune Frost was shot in Rwanda, and I am from Rwanda! Our friends are the people who made that film. Amazing creatives from Rwanda! And the fact that you are mentioning it, like, it totally resonates! It’s on point!
I feel like there’s been a colonial way of considering storytelling that we’re trying to liberate ourselves from. Because ultimately, we’ve been telling stories since the beginning of time, that may just be in another form, right? I think they’re more circular. There’s more, like, litany. There are things that are coming back, and it may be more in a dream space. I relate very much to other native communities around the world in the way they are telling their stories.
But to bring it back to Terra Mater – I’ve been based in Nairobi for three years now, because I am researching and working on a feature film. And I’ve been concerned about thematics like climate, justice, and what does it mean to live under the equator? What does it mean, the relationship between the northern and southern hemisphere, in that context?
I went and visited the site [the landfill in which Terra Mater is filmed] in 2018 for the first time, and I met all the communities around it, because you have to imagine that this place is located right in the centre of Nairobi. There are buildings around it, there’s a primary school around it. People get sick because when it’s rain season, it overflows. It’s 30 acres big. So, this dump site is a living organism in itself. Then once you go there, and you visit this place, and walk on top of all that, you realise that most of the trash is coming from Europe. Then there’s another layer [of thematics] that sinks in.
I knew I wanted to make something, at some point, talking about that. But I was waiting for the right opportunity. A little over a year ago, I had the opportunity to shoot something, and I went back and said let’s make a short film. And everyone you see on camera, except for Cheryl [Isheja], who is the Earth Spirit, is from this neighbourhood and live outside of the dump site.
Another reason why I was able to make this film, because they don’t allow anyone to film here, was I had protection from the cartels of the region. I had to get protection from the local authorities, because it’s so difficult to access, right?
Nick: That’s an incredible journey! There’s a line repeated throughout Terra Mater, which is, “the body and the soil”. When you think about the connection between the human body and the Earth, what does that mean to you?
Kantarama Gahigiri: Well, ultimately, I think Earth is our first resource. And there are always questions, especially in East Africa, where there’s mining for rare earth mineral, why they’re damaging the Earth? But they’re also so destructive in terms of the communities where 6 million people have been killed or displaced.
So, it’s about, ‘What are you taking? And what are you giving back?” How long are we going to be able to survive on poisoned land? And how are we such fools that we really think that we can continue poisoning our main resource, and ultimately be fine? All the native communities are already talking about it for years and years and years. There will be no trees and no water. What are we going to do? Go to Mars?
Nick: I think you present that feeling in such an impactful way. And one of the most engaging aspects of the film is the costume design, and how it’s such a unique visualisation of transhumanism. What was the process and discussions like in regard to creating these costumes?
Kantarama Gahigiri: Yes! Thank you for pointing that out! So Kevo Abbra, who is the production and costume designer of the film, he was actually born in that neighbourhood! But now, he’s an internationally renowned artist, and had a whole lot of work in the afro-futuristic space. And so, I called him and said I wanted to have something that represented our connection to the earth, with a mix of organic materials and also technology.
So, he came up with this dress which is made out of banana tree bark, and then on top of that he put all the calculators and cables. You have to imagine; this dress is weighing a tonne! And Cheryl is a real trooper. She spent the whole day walking on top of the trash heaps in it. You can barely move in it!
I think the embodiment of the dress, or any specific piece of the film at each step, with all the artists that came on board, we had this discussion about bringing a little bit of their own universe into this film.
I have to also mention Coco Em, Sisian, and Kasiva, the three Kenyan ladies who made the music. They are renowned artists! I mean Coco Em is touring internationally! And she’s an activist that’s very vocal about feminism, and she’s very vocal about the North and South problems. So, when I was preparing for this film, I knew she had something cooking! I called her and we found this track and I thought it fit perfectly into the film. She was very gracious, and was like, “Let’s make it happen”.
I’m very happy to have this collaboration with people from Kenya, people from Rwanda, and some people from Switzerland, because it really represents who I am as a Rwandan and Swiss artist. Everything is about connecting, and it’s about time that we address the problems we are having.
Nick: You’ve mentioned your lead actress, Cheryl Isheja, a few times now! How did she become involved with this film?
Kantarama Gahigiri: She’s a friend that I’ve had for many years! I’ve been following her work as a DJ, a music producer, performance artist, and she’s an actress. So when the opportunity came, I just called her and told her that I really needed her on board with this project.
She was gracious enough to trust the process, because everything happened really fast. I didn’t have a full script. But I had a poem and a lot of pictures, and so we discussed those. But she also knew what I was going for, for some time. But I’m so happy she came on board.
Nick: I want to finish up by asking how your Sundance Film Festival experience has been! And how has the reception to the short film been, too?
Kantarama Gahigiri: It’s amazing! It’s crazy! It’s a whirlwind. You get access to a whole community of filmmakers and artists. And to just get recognition of the work you’ve done, in some remote suburb of Nairobi, and have it shown on a platform like this, is very meaningful.
And to be able to explain that the dump sites don’t just exist in Nairobi, but there are also some in Asia, and some in Latin America. And in fact, the biggest one of them all is in Las Vegas. So, we’re having a lot of conversations about that here.
Thank you so much to Kantarama for her time! Terra Mater played at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and will be showing at more festivals throughout the year.
