Stero

Stero is a Kiswahili word that translates as “badass hero.”

It’s a descriptor that young Bruce Koech (Kael Wafubwa) aspires to in Tevin Kimathi and Millan Tarus’ characterful film, which packs a powerful punch within its ostensibly lightweight concept. Bruce lives in a world where his native tongue – Kiswahili – is forbidden from being spoken at school. His refusal to comply sees him have repeated run-ins with various authority figures, all while being guided by an imaginary sensei who advises him on his path to kick-ass heroism.

The film opens with Bruce undergoing instruction from his unnamed mentor in a forest dojo where the young boy practices mimicking the war cry of his idol, Bruce Lee. Cinematographer Viboks Omndi captures this in popping and vibrant colour and Sean Peevers score reinforces the film’s confident tone. However, this is quickly dispelled when we realise Bruce’s time at school is a far more muted affair – the screen has already been significantly drained of colour by the time a classmate prefect pulls Bruce up and reports him for a “language policy violation” for speaking anything other than English on the premises.

What had originally seemed like fanciful daydreams are transformed into a coping mechanism – Bruce’s reps in the dojo become the training he needs to endure lashes in the headteacher’s office, his silent endurance its own form of rebellion. It transforms Stero into a surprisingly touching and affirming film about how childhood imagination can be harnessed for strength, while also touching on systems of cultural degradation and the will it takes to defy them.

Directors: Tevin Kimathi, Millan Tarus
Cast: Kael Wafubwa, Lucarelli Onyango
Producer: Juliana Kabua
Screenplay: Millan Tarus
Cinematography: Viboks Omondi
Editing: George Mugambi
Music, sound design: Sean Peevers
Production design: Claire Njoki
Production company: LBx Africa (Kenya)
Venue: International Film Festival Rotterdam (Tiger Shorts Competition)
In Kiswahili, English
13 minutes