In liberating the People’s Republic of Mozambique, Samora Machel faced the task of delivering a geographically and tribally disparate nation from poverty. He harnessed the power of film to drive this nation-building agenda by creating The National Institute of Cinema. In the beginning, Kuxa Kanema travelled Mozambique’s considerable length, capturing the image of the people and delivering it back to them. But as Mozambique was dragged into a debilitating civil war by the nefarious activities of Rhodesia and South Africa, hope gave way to disillusionment, and political rhetoric became more important than social development.

Rescuing the original footage, this enthralling account of our mysterious neighbour is a superb metaphor for the thwarted socialist dream and ensuing tragic history of Mozambique.