For me, CHOKORA will be the culmination of many years of filmmaking, bringing together my deep interest in coming-of-age dramas with my passion for social change. 
 
Nevertheless, it begs the question: why would an Indian-American filmmaker in Los Angeles want to make a film about street kids in Nairobi? First off, my family’s roots are in East Africa. My grandfather was born in Kenya and my parents both grew up in Tanzania. Ever since I took an illuminating, life-changing trip to both countries over twenty years ago, I have wanted to make a film set in Africa one day. 
 
I got the idea for CHOKORA after hearing a story on NPR about Nairobi’s “Mama Pimas,” women who sell toxic, addictive glue to street kids in order to put food on the table for their own children. I was struck by the irony of the situation as well as the painful moral dilemmas these women choose to ignore in order to survive. As I dug further, I found several more articles about the street kids, called “chokora”, and a few documentaries on the issue. I immediately sensed a powerful story here and got to work fleshing out a screenplay I could turn into a film and deliver to a mass audience with the end goal of raising awareness and provoking change. 

In December, 2013, I went back to Nairobi on a research trip to see the situation there for myself. The experience of visiting the slums, hearing the stories of current and former street kids, and witnessing the dire day-to-day survival lifestyle of so many in this bustling metropolis was both incredibly humbling and inspiring. Here were people who had been dealt an unfair hand in life, yet they were determined to better themselves, accomplish their dreams and escape the weights of poverty. Yet they remained invisible to Nairobi’s more prosperous citizens, who seem content to ignore them or worse: regard them as less than human, a nuisance to be kept out of sight. 
 
Despite its specific setting, CHOKORA will be a story many can relate to: a child who dreams for a better life for himself and his family finds himself in a seemingly impossible situation. Our hero, Kimani, is a good boy with big dreams but reality seems determined to strip him of his optimism. His naivete is destroyed, his innocence lost. But he emerges from the situation stronger for it, having endured great pain and hardship, faced evil, and survived. 

I hope this film will open the eyes of those who currently are unwilling or unable to see these street children for what they really are: human beings with hopes, dreams and value. And if this film can save just one life from the street, or bring a little more compassion for the extreme poor, I know all the blood, sweat and tears shed to make this film will have been worthwhile. 

Thank you for your support. 

Amyn Kaderali