Exploring Black Activism in ‘Softie’
This year for Black History Month, FACETS is highlighting Sam Soko’s new documentary Softie. A film about a Kenyan activist taking to the streets and eventually running for public office. Softie is available to stream at FACETS Virtual Cinema until February 11.
Black History Month is a time to reflect on the impact that Black individuals and communities have had on the history of the United States and the entire world. A time to pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve citizenship, and equality in American society. A time to look back on the actions of individuals and groups who fought for equality and justice and got us to where we are as a country today. The hard part about this all, however, is that where we are today is far from perfect.
With recent protests breaking out across the country in response to corrupt police forces killing and brutalizing Black citizens, a conversation has opened up about how truly equal we all are. This year is a time to realize that Black History is happening right now. Black History is not in the past, these injustices have not been overcome, equality is far from obtained. These conversations are immediate and important and happening in so many different places at once.
Softie follows the life of Kenyan photographer and political activist Boniface “Softie” Mwangi, his wife Njeri and their children, tells a remarkable and conscientious story of Kenya’s struggle with political tribalism. This film chronicles a 7-year journey beginning with street protests and culminating in Mwangi’s decision to run for a parliamentary seat in his old neighborhood. Given the pace of recent events, defined by the divisive and volatile factions within the United States, the arrival of this documentary could not be more timely, as Softie comes up against corruption and the expectation that candidates will hand out money and favors. He and his family receive death threats, forcing his wife and children to seek asylum in the United States.
As we know all too well, excessive police brutality against protestors, corruption and oppression lead people to grow even more distrustful of their leaders. Kenya’s political history shows how colonial strategies of creating boundaries in order to make tribal oppositions a site for conflict is deeply seeded in the country and that even in contemporary politics, the oppositions and inequalities remain a site of struggle. Softie offers an intimate glimpse into the difficult position community organizers and activists must navigate in the process of fighting for justice and requires us to consider the dynamic relationship between familial love and love of country.
This film, while about Kenya and the issues there, can truly resonate with any audience. Not only from the universal themes of struggle and hardship that anyone can get behind but also because, “This travesty of justice is a regular occurrence in Kenya as it is in other countries around the world where the rich and the powerful use political power to get what they want.” (Spirituality Practice). The bribes, the police brutality, the protestors going missing, it is a film that takes place far away but sadly seems close to home. So many times, we need to take a look at something far away to make sense of what is close to us and this is a film that is made for that purpose.
Softie tackles these issues of corruption head on, we see everything that Mwangi sees, we are there in a way…for better or for worse. This film itself is an act of rebellion that is “made more alarming by the violent events documented throughout the film, including the torture and murder of an official charged with keeping the elections fair and safe. The film’s final title card tells us that 30 activists had either gone missing or have been killed during the making of the film.” These events seem far from home here in the U.S. as they take place, “in a corrupt country where the status quo is made up of a hardworking, oppressed lower class and the political leaders are quasi-oligarchs.” (The Film Stage).
Realistically none of this is too far off from what is happening in our own back yard. During recent Black Lives Matter protests, dozens of people were arrested or kidnapped by police (The Guardian) and driven out of the cities and dumped at random locations. Many protestors went missing, hundreds more were injured and brutalized. It is easy to think that awful things are happening somewhere else and that the hard work is done, but the fight is far from over right here in the U.S.
Softie is not just depictions of bad things however, there is hope laced throughout the film. Softie himself is an inspiring figure–he loves his family and his country, and works hard to make it better for everyone. In the film, he says “when you fight for your country, your kids benefit”, an outlook mirrored by other protesters throughout the world. The fights happening in the U.S. and abroad are not only to benefit the present moment, but the future for all.
Sometimes the best way for us to learn is for us to experience, and for us to watch. There are plenty of important and meaningful films about Black history, Black activism, and the issues facing Black communities both in America and in the world today. Softie is just one story and there are so many more. For more documentaries we recommend:
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Rent now from FACETS)
The Black Power Mixtape (Rent now from FACETS)
I Am Not Your Negro (Rent now from FACETS)
Whose Streets (Streaming now on PlutoTV)
13th (Streaming on Netflix)
You can watch Softie until February 11 at FACETS Virtual Cinema here.
Tyler Meder is an Editorial Assistant Intern at FACETS. He received his B.A. in Communication, Film, and New Media from Carthage College after completing his thesis on shot on video horror films. He has contributed work in video and writing to multiple industries including live theatre, which earned him an honors in Animation and Video Production from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
