Widow Champion
(Kenya, 95 min.)
Dir. Zippy Kimundu
Programme: Persister (World premiere)
Set in various Kenyan villages, Zippy Kimundu’s remarkable study demonstrates the ways patriarchal values can slowly transform when the community takes action. The central figure here is Rodah Nafulah, a widow who did not inherit the land that rightfully came to her when her husband died. As she persistently seeks the title deed, she works with the NGO KELIN to assist other widows to gain title to the property owned by their deceased husbands.
Their main obstacles are recalcitrant in-laws, anxious to turf out the widows so they can seize their lands. To do this, they rely on the patriarchal tradition known as widow inheritance, which allows in-laws to inherit the land, unless the widow agrees, for example, to become a co-wife of her brother-in-law. Often the widows, in a tribalist twist, are told to just go back to where they came from, because they’re not birth members of their husbands’ communities.
KELIN, with Rodah along, brings together community elders to mediate the conflict between the widows and their husbands’ families. At first glance, it looks like a resolution is highly unlikely, but the mediators, especially Kasuko, are deeply skilled, patient even in the face of ludicrous accusations hurled at the women seeking justice, and we watch as the hostilities ease. In the case of Mary, after the sessions, she even develops a strong bond with her formerly harsh antagonist.
Between scenes of widows, now single mothers struggling to care for their children and tend to the land they’re desperate to keep, Rodah goes through her own agonizing process of getting hold of the title to her land. In one tension-filled sequence, she’s told that the building housing her documents has burned to the ground.
When she’s not pursuing her own case, the titular widow champion goes village to village to encourage husbands to sign their one wills. She also meets with self-help groups of women to teach them the process of getting their deeds and to recruit women who might benefit from mediation. This is not easy work. She travels mostly by foot and as she’s finally meeting with potential clients, she has to speak in whispers lest they draw a crowd. She’s received many threats from hostile villagers.
Expertly co-shot by director Kimundu, Widow Champion offers a detailed portrait of village life, the intense physical labour of women working the land and tending to their animals and the generosity of villagers willing to help. Watch how they build a home in just days. Beautiful music by Polycarp “Fancy Fingers” Otieno and Polycarp “Winyo” Shipton, with its choral elements and African sensibilities, helps make this an inspiring story of the life-changing impacts of KELIN’s community development action.
Widow Champion screened at Hot Docs 2025.
Get more coverage from this year’s festival here.
