MAAMA WANGE Written by MIREMBE DOREEN mirembedoryn33@gmail.com +256 702 487836 FADE IN: 1 EXT. KATANGA SLUM - DAY 1 From the blurry rainfall noise, we see a washed-out wooden sign reading "KATANGA." Heavy rains wash the horizon and the earth of Katanga slum. We hear - a distant voice: BRENDA (V.O) (subtitled in English: Mother. Mother.) Maama. Maama. (pause.) Every person has a way to describe their mother. Some lucky children tell stories about; their beautiful life, all the things they have and their loving parents. But mine was different. DISSOLVE TO: 2 INT. KATANGA SLUM - NAMBI’S HOUSE - DAY (CONTINUOUS) 2 Inside the house, we see Nambi, 27s - sleeping with her daughter (Brenda), 6s - down on a ragged bed covered with a filthy blanket. The only sound we hear are the glassy-punches of the rain crushing from outside. CU: on Nambi’s face, we see a scar somewhere on her right side eye, and here, the alarm rings. An old cellphone tied with rubber bands rests somewhere close to Nambi who reaches for it with her left hand and calms its vibration. Nambi looks at Brenda, sleeping - she kisses her on the forehead with a morning smile on her face. But Brenda simply turns away and sinks in her dreams unaware. MONTAGE OF: Nambi lights the charcoal stove. She flies samosas. She irons Brenda’s uniform. She dresses Brenda. She smears jelly on Brenda’s skin while she sings for her in the silhouette of the rain outside. END MONTAGE. NAMBI (singing in Luganda.) " - Nsangi Nsangi Nsangi mwana wange..." Nambi hopefully sings for Brenda with a smile on her face, but Brenda looks emotionally dry upon their situation. 3 EXT. KATANGA SLUM - ROADSIDE - DAY 3 Nambi walks with Brenda on the roadside as she sells samosas stuffed in a transparent bucket. Nambi calls-out to a woman passing-by. NAMBI (subtitled in English: "Samosas. Samosas. Madam will buy please?) Sumbusa. Sumbusa. Nyabo onagulako bambi? Nambi sees her Land-Lord walking before her irritably. LAND LORD (subtitled in English: Hey Nambi, don’t forget on Thursday I want my money. You hear me?) Gwe Nambi, tewelabila k’lwokuna njagala ssente zange. Owulidde? NAMBI (politely.) (subtitled in English: Good morning landlord?) Wasuze otya landlord? The Land-Lord looks at her lamentably. LAND LORD (subtitled in English: Look for another place after paying me. ) Nonya ewo’kwewoogoma nga omazze okunsasula. The Land-Lord walks away from Nambi as she looks at him silently in perplexity. NAMBI (nerve-racking.) Eh--banage! I don’t know if today - Brenda holds Nambi’s hand with assurance. BRENDA Maama don’t worry, you’re going to sell all the samosas. (beat.) Your always doubtful...but at the end you sell all the samosas. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: (2) -- and as they hoof on the grubby roadside, a woman stops them and: WOMAN# (quick and nosy.) (subtitled in English: Madam, were they made today?) Nyabo - zaleero? NAMBI (compliantly.) (subtitled in English: Yes madam, I made them today.) Ye nyabo, nazikozze leero. WOMAN# (subtitled in English: Okay, give me two.) Kale, mpaayo biiri. Nambi picks and packs two samosas in a polythene bag then she hands them to the woman who pays her and walks away. NAMBI (subtitled in English: Thank you so much.) Neyanzizza nyo. She covers her samosas and suddenly looks at Brenda who waits for her with an ’I-told-you-so’ expression swing on her face. NAMBI (CONT’D) Please don’t show me that face. Brenda giggles at herself as Nambi smiles at her and now, they continue with their journey. BRENDA (V.O) Sometimes...I find it easy to listen to other children’ stories about their mothers. 4 EXT. SCHOOL - DAY (CONTINUOUS) 4 BRENDA (V.O) What used to get me bothered about these children’ mothers, is how they took care of them ! - (beat.) They bought for them dolls. Good shoes. Sweet snacks and so many other things. Students sit in groups as they eat snacks in the compound of the school. Brenda looks at her fellows; opening juice packages, grubs and noshes. Brenda opens her container and looks at her sweet potato and two samosas. She quickly and undesirably closes the container. Looks around and here the bell rings as all students rush to their classes and now, Brenda furtively munches herself with her eats. REVERSE TO REVEAL -- two students sneakily walk behind Brenda and as she looks around, the students scare and provoke her. STUDENT 1# Gwe - late comer, why are you in a hurry? STUDENT 2# - always seen with a big potato in her container. (beat and cheekily.) I guess that’ what your mother can afford to offer? STUDENT 1# (impolitely.) Perhaps she sells both samosas and sweet potato? 5 EXT/INT. TAXI (MOVING SLOW)- DAY (CONTINUOUS) 5 Nambi doses with her bucket of samosas inside the taxi as she leans against the taxi’s window. A street kid knocks on the window and Nambi jumps out of her drowsy sleep. The kid begs for something from Nambi who pulls the taxi’s window open and hands the street kid a coin with a dull-grin of kindness. Nambi looks through the taxi’s window and sees the streets of Kampala with a melancholy expression. BRENDA(V.O) What’s my mother doing right now? Is she busy or not? And if so - why can’t she buy me good things? 6 INT. SCHOOL - CLASS - DAY (CONTINUOUS) 6 Teachers meet inside the class and they talk. Unheard. The teachers constantly peek at Brenda who observes them. She thinks at herself anxiously. 7 EXT. BRICK LAYING SITE - DAY/EVENING (CONTINUOUS) 7 Brenda walks on her way back home and she passes by the ’Brick Laying Site’ to meet her mother. She sees brick makers tending busy at themselves as well as a gang of smokers playing cards and doing other sort of things. One of the smokers sees Brenda. Maybe he knows her. He stands up and moves toward her - still smoking his cigarette. SMOKING GUY (subtitled in English: Hey Nambi! Nambi.) Gwe Nambi! Nambi. We hear Nambi’s voice sounding in the background. NAMBI O.S (subtitled in English: What?) Kiki? SMOKING GUY Your beautiful angel is here. Nambi enters the frame from somewhere garbed in dirty clothes. Brenda looks at her mother and the smoking guy with a tedious face. NAMBI Oh dear - you are here already? (beat.) Can you please wait for a moment? Nambi walks away from Brenda and goes to finish her work. She terribly coughs so hard in pain. People look at her sympathetically as well as Brenda. 8 EXT. KATANGA ORPHANAGE - DAY 8 Friskily, Brenda plays with her banana-fiber doll and behind her, we see a building with words reading: "KATANGA ORPHANAGE." BRENDA BRA BRA BLACK SHEEP HAVE YOU HAD -- CUT TO: Nambi and an old Catholic Sister walk out of a building as they talk. CATHOLIC SISTER Maama Brenda, please don’t lose hope in yourself?! NAMBI Sister, I have never lost hope. I do everything as it’s supposed to be done. I take my medication in time. I work hard for my daughter Brenda to live a happy life, and I also pray everyday. But you know its God who decides not us. Later, Nambi holds Brenda’s hand and they walk away from the orphanage. But as they foot toward the road, Brenda turns and looks at the Catholic Sister who looks at her too with a happy goodbye wave. BRENDA (V.O) I used to ask myself questions why my mother used to meet this old Catholic Sister? But I couldn’t get close to the answer. (pause.) The only thing I knew was that - my mother visited the old sister when her health situation worsened. And as a child, my mother gave me no room to ask about her health. 9 INT. KATANGA SLUM - NAMBI’S HOUSE - NIGHT 9 Nambi enters her house carrying two jerrycans of water. She rushes to the stove and carries off boiling water, then she tends to Brenda who does her homework feeling jaded down on the floor before a lighting lamp. NAMBI No - that’s not the answer. The answer is 60. Brenda waits to write her mothers answer and first looks at her: BRENDA (earnestly.) Maama I don’t feel safe at school. My fellow students tease me. Nambi looks at Brenda and holds her face with her right hand. With firm assurance - NAMBI (sincerely inspiring.) My dear daughter, you have to stand strong through hard-times. (beat. with a smile.) Now lets eat supper. BRENDA Okay maama. Nambi makes tea for Brenda and herself and they stuff roasted maize as they sip on their cups of tea hopefully. 10 INT. KATANGA SLUM - NAMBI’S HOUSE - DAY/MORNING 10 ANGLE ON -- Nambi’s cellphone rings with an alarm ring tone. We turn toward the bed and Nambi is nowhere to be seen. A figure uncovers itself from a cloth and this is Nambi -steaming herself with herbs and smoke. She coughs heavily as she prepares herself and later she wakes up Brenda. Nambi covers herself in the bed and Brenda wears her uniform and walks out of the house. 11 EXT. SCHOOL - DAY (CONTINUOUS) 11 OUTSIDE -- as Brenda walks around, she meets the girl she had recently fought with, and the girl provokes her with unheard words. Brenda covers her ears and runs away. 12 INT. KATANGA SLUM - NAMBI’S HOUSE - DAY/EVENING (CONTINUOUS) 12 Brenda enters the house and sees her mother sleeping at the edge of the bed. She moves around and sees roasted maize on a plate and tea, all covered. TIME-LAPS OF: Brenda eating the roasted maize and sipping on the cup of tea. She sits on the bed still stuffing herself with the maize. She notices something inside a polythene bag which hangs from the wall. She walks toward it and finds a small cake inside the polythene bag. END OF TIME-LAPS. Brenda smiles with optimistic expectations and she walks toward her mother maybe to thank her, but as she wakes her up, Nambi doesn’t get up. Brenda looks at her in shock. She runs out of the house and calls for help. 13 INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT 13 The doctor walks toward the Catholic Sister with Brenda at the waiting area. The doctor delivers the information to her and she curls tensed upon the doctors report. Brenda sneakily enters the room where her mother is admitted at. She climbs the bed and sits while Nambi recovers from her rest and sees her. She smiles in pain and later - she coughs terribly. BRENDA (V.O) I can’t forget the last day I had with my mother. Seeing her failing to breath as she coughed so hard while she tried to tell me something I could not hear clearly -- made me so scared. Nambi coughs so hard as she tries to tell Brenda something. BRENDA (V.O) There were lots of things I didn’t know about my mother; how she knew the Catholic Sister? - who my father was? - her childhood background and her family? But through all this, I realized that my mother was a very hard working, caring strong woman. MONTAGE OF NAMBI’S FLASHBACK: The Catholic Sister picks Nambi from the streets. Nambi gets raped by a government official in the dark. Nambi and the Catholic Sister face the doctor who informs them that she contracted ’H.I.V Aids.’ Nambi carries baby Brenda in her arms. Nambi makes a doll from banana fibers. Nambi takes her medicine while she hides it from Brenda. END MONTAGE. WE ARE: INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS) Brenda cries out loudly for help as she calls Nambi who struggles to catch her breath in pain. She coughs so hard. The doctor and the Catholic Sister enter the room quickly. BRENDA (weepy.) (subtitled in English: Mother. Mother. My mother.) Maama. Maama. Maama wange. Nambi looks at Brenda helplessly and says: NAMBI I love you - baby Brenda. Nambi fails herself and dies in her daughters face while the Catholic Sister carries her away with tear creeping don on her face and the doctor covers Nambi’s body with the bed-sheet. CONTINUED: (3) BRENDA (V.O) (subtitled in English: I love too -- my mother.) Nange nkwagala nyo -- MAAMA WANGE. FADE OUT.