The first ever Kenyan tv-show to be highlighted on German media. The low budget tv-series is getting more international acclaim and attention than most other high cost shows in Kenya.
Usoni is the name of the show. The idea of the show is to “reverse” migration with Europeans braving the storms and hardships of the Mediteranean Sea to get to Africa. The show which is futuristic, set in 2062, discuss the challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers only that this time, they use European refugees in AFRICA. The show puts the shoe in the other foot, to try and explain better the tribulations of having to flee one’s homeland to seek refuge elsewhere.
The show follows a young couple, Ophelia and Ulysse. At the time the volcanic mountains in Europe have erupted and the air is all black, it becomes had to live in Europe and the people have to flee. Ulysse ‘s wife, Ophelia is pregnant and they seek a better life for their child by crossing over from Lampedusa into Africa.
The lead character, Ulysse is played by Felix Vollmann, a German student currently studying at the USIU in Nairobi and his wife, Ophelia is played by Karungari Kahende, a Kenyan-German. The show was created by Marc Rigaudis, the film productions director at Nairobi’s United States International University (USIU) and the owner of the company producing the show Rigaudis416. Marc had come up with the idea to do a documentary on the Lampedusa story but hadn’t completely refined it, when he presented the idea to his students at USIU, Usoni was born.
Usoni which is Swahili for “Future”, was the perfect fit for the idea behind the show. Marc is still working towards producing a feature film on the show but also on getting a TV Channel to pick up the show. His only condition is that the show remains an African production.
The show has been featured by Major media houses internationally (CNN, The Guardian, Voice of Africa) and in Germany (Frankfurter Rundschau, Volksfreund, Focus,Ruhr Nachrichten, Stern). Even in Switzerland, the story was featured in the Wiener Zeitung.
You can watch the official trailer below. Find the team on Facebook or Twitter to know more.