Friday November 6th. By all appearances it seems just an ordinary day but it’s not. It is the opening night of the 6th Amakula Film Festival. As I leaf through the festival programme in the bar lounge at the National Theatre, I am agog with excitement. This year’s theme, "Visionary Histories", is a concept I’ve been working with on several occasions so I can barely contain my anxiety to see it come to the big screen this festival.

The first order of business tonight is a cocktail, from which I gather a lot of switching up is going to be happening this season. It is not the best kept secret that meat is to Ugandans as vodka is to Russians, and at the cocktail there is plenty of it. True to their nature, the Ugandans dig in like it’s their last meal and every time I see a waiter with a tray, there is a swarm of bodies around him picking away at it like animals in the while.

So far everything seems to be going great and all in all, everyone is chatty. In between her numerous dashes from one thing to the other, I meet Alice Smitts, Amakula’s ebullient co-director and at the very first handshake, I instinctively understand why Amakula has been such a resounding success. Strapped to her front, her little baby girl sleeps peacefully while her mother fleet-footedly prances all over the place making sure that things are running smooth. One look at her cheerful head towering over mine and I quickly decide that when I get to interview her, we will definitely be seated.....if that can happen!

Ring ding ding. It’s finally show time and I practically race to the auditorium. This is the moment we have all been waiting for; the hour of reckoning- the official unveiling of the 2009 edition of the Amakula Kampala International Film Festival.

Our hostess tonight is Vision Voice's Sophie Aniku. Clad in a trendy yellow dress spotted with a large print flowery pattern and a black plastic spects, she has the audience eating out of her palm the minute she opens her mouth. Given several grunts and whistles from the guys in the audience, they have no complaints. Clearly she has bagged this one.

Alas! A huge blow is delivered; the tribute film to Austin Cesaire, for which I have been nursing unbearable curiosity, is not on the reel tonight and I am gravely disappointed.

Fortunately on stage, the pleasant sounds of Percussion Discussion are soothing our souls and my spirits are lifted. For the storytelling performance, we have Clement Sentale, the man on the festival poster, taking us back to the fireplace and show us how story telling is done. His account of the rise and fall of Sir Edward Mutesa II, Kabaka of Buganda and first president of Uganda, leaves the audience astounded. In unflinching Luganda, Sentamu recaps his story with accurate dates from birth to boyhood and Kingship. By the time he leaves the stage, those who understood what he was saying are roaring in exhilarated surprise.

On the big screen tonight, we see "A History of Independence" by Daouda Coulibaly, "The Tunnel" by Jenna Bass (South Africa) and "Blind Date" (not on programme). For my review I will focus on Coulibaly’s "A History of Independence" for the simple reason that he is on this year’s tribute list.

His 21-minute film takes us through the deceased film maker’s synopsis of independent Africa told through the story of a man (Nama) and his wife (Sire). After a big happy wedding, Nama seclude himself from life in the mountains to lead a life of prayer with his wife. Some years later God taking pity on him, offers him three wishes through his angel. Convinced by his wife Nam’s first wish is unrivalled beauty for her but upon her discovering the result, she leaves him to enjoy life in the city where her beauty can be worshiped. Feeling betrayed Nama wishes Sire the opposite but when her family intercedes, his soft heart wishes her back to her ‘original clay’ and he accepts her back.

In the film, Coulibaly compares independent Africa to this marriage but his genius is evident I his technique. For example, in the place of dialogue, he uses audio excerpts from speeches by African leaders. There also many allusions to popular stories like Aladdin (element of three wishes) and Mohammed (revelation in the mountains).

For the audience, the highlight is the humorous angel of God- a wooden Muppet who offers much needed comic relief in such a heavily themed and abstract presentation. I am not entirely sure I entirely grasp the entire thing-there are still some questions; like who between Nama and Sire and represented Africa.

However, I do leave with the knowledge, that promise of independent Africa did not materialise, we have to learn from the past take things step by step. It couldn’t have been more apt on theme. With the opening night off with a bang, I can’t wait to see Uganda Focus tomorrow to find out just how improved is Uganda film making.
*Written by Edgar Kangere