'Softie': Amplifying a New Voice in Kenyan Politics

If there’s one picture from Softie that will remain with me forever it is that of a severed hand. It looks as if it’s a decoration, so gruesome and unnatural that the mind says, “how can that be real?” But it is real. It has real fingernails, real blood, real skin, and a real watch draped around the wrist. The photo is presented early in the film. It is a part of a photo gallery that presents photos of bloodied men, crying people, and beaten people dropped to the ground. At first look it seems like they are pictures of a war-torn country, how else could such violence be prominent? That is not the case though. The photos are pictures of Kenyan citizens, abused by police and government officers. With these images our protagonist Boniface “Softie” Mwangi is introduced in his home, with his children, talking about the revolution on the phone. Early on it is easy to tell that Boniface, called “Boni” in the film, is a family man as he talks about social justice and his activism on the phone while entertaining his three young children surrounding him. 

    At the beginning of the film, Boni said, “I think it’s good for us to get arrested, to show people the government is intolerant.” Boni has a direct approach to social activism; he spoke directly to police officers as they prepared to release tear gas on him; went into a crowd of angry people as they wait for political bribes, which is legal in the country of Kenya; and in the face of it all, he continued vying (running for office) to be a member of parliament, even as he faced death threats. Boni is visibly a leader in his community and a vital part of their revolution. During the parliamentary election, citizens in his community were being blocked by police at the polling stations, left waiting for hours. When the crowd became distressed at this, Boni came walking through. They yelled to him and said “talk to them, Boni. Please, you go talk to them.” The people put their trust in him because he has fought for them. As he leaves his home at the beginning of the film, one of his children asks him what he is doing. His response? “I’m going to topple a government.” Softie does an amazing job reflecting the sentiments of Boni’s community, effectively portraying the frustration of the public and the shared respect they have for Boni.

    During the interview with the directors/producers Sam Soko and Toni Kamau, they went into some detail about the context in which the film was made. For one, this film took seven years to create. It has a significant impact knowing that as the film progresses, so does the political climate. The administration was different in the beginning than it was in the end. They spoke a lot about their experience interviewing and working with Njeri, Boni’s wife, and the huge amount of respect they have for her. Sam Soko said, “For me, [Njeri] is my hero in the film.” Toni Kamau talked about how the film contrasts in other films shown in Kenya, “[Kenya’s] history has never been shown like this, compressed. Most films presented are very short films, they don’t talk about our history the same way.”

    (A warning for people who are planning on seeing Softie, there are spoilers ahead.) Boni loses the election, and it is emotional to see him tell his children about the loss after the seven-year making of this documentary. We watch his life, his children grow up, Njeri and her struggles, all to see a loss. Near the middle of the film, Boni and Njeri disagree about their priorities, Njeri stating that hers are, in order, “God, family, country,” while Boni says simultaneously, “God, country, family.” Boni then says, “The revolution comes first, then love follows.” The film does a great job illustrating the difference in values between the two and bringing it full circle at the end of the film. Even though Boni loses the election, Njeri confesses that she is secretly happy that he lost, knowing that he will continue his activism no matter what, but without a political position he will have more time for his family. Soko and Kamau talk about Boni’s most recent activism in his country: training a new generation to spark change and fight for the common good.

    I loved that this film brought to light the political activism in Kenya that is often censored out of global news. The cultural lens it is filmed from offers a perspective of a different kind of politics to an audience that would rarely have the opportunity to view. The audience was shocked when Soko told them that it is not unusual for bribes to be offered during the campaign and outside of polling stations. They were also shocked when informed that it is extremely unusual for a political candidate to ask for money to fund a campaign as Boni did. Softie provided genuinely interesting information and an empowering film. It was uplifting that at the end of the film text displayed told the audience that Boni was continuing his work, despite his loss. With wonderful cinematography, an interesting story, an inspiring subject and impactful dialogue I think this film is a must-see for a broad audience, while preferably a more mature one due to graphic photos, and anyone who is truly passionate about something. I’m glad that Boni and Njeri’s work has been brought to attention, his dialogue shows the passion and courage he has for his country: “In spite of being arrested, beaten up, threatened, the moment I discovered my voice, that I could actually stand up for what I really believed in, I'm no longer afraid. I used to be called softy, but I'm no longer softy, because I discovered who I really am, as in, that's what I want to do, and there's such beauty in doing that. There's nothing as powerful as that, knowing that I'm meant to do this because you don't get scared, you just continue living your life.”