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Overlooked & Underrated Docs & Features
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Liyana: An African Story
“When people remember about Liyana, I want them to remember us, making our own words.” Young African Child
We are in Swaziland, also known as The Kingdom of Eswatini, at an orphanage the children of which lost their parents to AIDS, drugs, and violence. We are in a small classroom, poet/story-teller Gcina Mhlophe is coaching five students in the composing of a story.
Step-by-step the children create a character, her name—Liyana—her appearance, and her story. Directors Amanda Kopp and Aaron Kopp follow the story’s creation, and the children narrate their story—illustrated by moving images of Liyana’s journey.