Nowadays, social media allows us to stay more connected than ever to the sociopolitical landscape of various parts of the world. The increase in awareness of different countries’ trials and tribulations, especially when support is needed most, has allowed positive action to be taken towards these causes. However, there are pitfalls to this means of staying informed, as we are often drawn into echo chambers of self-affirming beliefs where fact and fiction can blur into one.
In light of all this, an avenue we can turn towards to enlighten ourselves further on the problems facing marginalized groups globally is cinema. More specifically, documentaries can open our eyes to vast perspectives in the most intimate and raw way. While I claimed to be widely educated in the social injustices that face women globally, Zippy Kimundu’s formidable documentary Widow Champion (2025) taught me that there is still so much more to learn and raise awareness about.
We are introduced to Rodah Nafula Wekesa, a woman whose life gets uprooted after her husband lost his battle with HIV. The Kenyan tradition “widow inheritance,” which originated as a kind gesture that ensures that the husband’s family looks after the widow after he dies, has been twisted to mean monetary and sexual gain for the in-laws, forcing Rodah out of her family home along with her children.
If it were not for her bold fight against the grain of culture that was enforced upon her, the entirety of her life, along with her independence, would have been completely lost by undignified means. Today, Rodah relentlessly campaigns for the land rights of women across her village and the country alongside her laborious attempt to obtain the title deed for her home to be in her name.
Kimundu captures the optimism and vibrancy that radiate from Rodah in her pursuit of betterment for the widows in her community, making her the perfect vessel to navigate this story. It is how we see the community she has built interacting with her that hammers home how vitally her energy was needed, watching as they joyously uplift one another during their singing, educate each other on the laws of land ownership, and help mediate resolutions made between families. The widows’ community is harbored from a place of love that Rodah has selflessly taken upon herself to provide, ensuring no one has to endure what she once did.
Having Widow Champion premiere at Tribeca Film Festival this year and later DC/DOX, in a western society accustomed to deeming importance to the juristical system, was an incredibly important and intentional decision made by Kimundu as it brings to attention the cultural difference of government mandated laws being placed to a lower regard in rural areas of Kenya. Instead, it is the word of the elders of the village that is taken as gospel in enforcing discipline and righteousness.
The most striking imagery given to the viewer is the convening of the Luo Council of Elders with Rodah to discuss the land dispute between widow Mary Atieno Ragen and her brother-in-law Dickson. Director of photography Steve Ruiyi and Kimundu, who did a lot of shooting on her own, purposefully filmed this meeting on the land where Mary’s home used to reside before Dickson demolished it.
In the background of the shots, you can see the rental homes built around this empty plot of land, emphasising how utterly heartbreaking it must be for Mary to be sitting on the place that once was her home, yet how resilient she is, being able to sit there maintaining her composure.
Even in the film’s most harrowing moments, Kimundu never fails to showcase the hopefulness of a brighter future for the generations to come, shining through Rodah’s eldest children. Rodah encourages both children to study hard and pursue higher education at university in lieu of wanting a life for them that she only dreamed of having.
In a full circle moment, her son announces that he wishes to study to become an activist like his mother in a profound and truly genuine demeanor. Kimundu captured such a deeply personal moment between mother and son, where you can see Rodah beam, knowing that the movement she has started will not die with her.
Despite it not being a narrative feature, you cannot help but compare the magnitude of the storytelling in the film to Walter Salles’ Oscar-winning feature, I’m Still Here (2024). Both are beautifully powerful films with strong leading ladies that are based on (if not completely are) true-life stories. Stories that need to be told and heard by the masses.
Although I am navigating life through the weight that being a woman of color brings, I am reminded that I have privilege I must acknowledge, being born and living in the UK. Through the hardships I face each day, there are tens upon hundreds of invisible challenges revolving around even the simplest of tasks that I would not think twice about, that countless people struggle with constantly. Widow Champion is one film in my long journey in learning and amplifying as many voices as I can.
Review Courtesy of Nandita Joshi
Feature Image Credit to Zippy Kimundu/Widow Champion