By Josepha Jabo
27 Guns is a war movie that really takes you back to the perilous times of Uganda in the 1980s. On Wednesday, 26th September, 2018 I headed to 3D Cinema Magic, at Metroplex in Naayla, to watch Natasha Museveni Karugire’s historic biopic.
From the movie; it becomes apparent that Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who on one hand was called ‘a bandit’ by his detractors and ‘a rare breed’ by his admirers, was a revolutionary. After all, it takes a lot of bravado to take up arms against government to engage in guerilla warfare. In addition, his former position as the Minister of Defence in Obote’s government prepared him for this herculean task, because it made him privy to the location of all the barracks and military bases in the country, as well as the extent of their military equipment. However, I cannot overlook the role prayer and God’s protection played in many of the Bush War heroes narrow escapes!
Although all the actors put up a good performance, my favourite actor was Jedidiah Sezi Nuwewenka, who played Salim Saleh effortlessly; Diana Museveni Kamuntu was also good in her role as Mrs. Janet Museveni the exile-refugee. I found the recruitment of the kadogos (child soldiers) moving, since the majority of them were orphans who had nowhere else to go. The most touching scene was when the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) soldiers came for Yoweri’ Kaguta Museveni’s elderly parents, Mzee Amos Kaguta and his wife Esteri Kokundeka, deep in the village, demanding to know the rebel’s whereabouts, which provoked Yoweri’s mother to begin calling upon the name of Jesus!
It was a worthwhile endeavor, because the movie is entertaining and educational at the same time. I learnt some lessons and little-known facts about the National Resistance Army (NRA) liberation struggle. However, I do not want to go into details and ‘give it away’ by writing a summary of the entire storyline, which I have seen some movie reviewers erroneously doing.
The editing of the subtitles could have been better; nevertheless, I must commend Isaiah 60 Productions for capturing the spirit of the age with period-appropriate: afros, costumes, landline telephones, props, vehicles and the like. It is a long movie; but then again, it does cover the five-year span of the Bush War (1981-1986). I entered the movie theatre at 4:15pm and I exited at 6:50pm. Was it worth it? Yes. 27 Guns, which premièred in Uganda on Saturday, 8th September, 2018 and later screened in South Africa, has thus far been well received by audiences. Eventually, 27 Guns will be released on DVD (not entirely sure when that will be) and I will definitely purchase copy when it becomes available.
The Cambridge English Dictionary defines, ‘be gunning for sth’ as: ‘to make a great effort to get or win something.’ This is exactly what 41 men with 27 guns did to liberate this country. The peace, we now enjoy in Uganda, is because they fought for it—we should not take it for granted. This is a captivating, historical movie all Ugandans should watch. I highly recommend it.
The Writer works for Uganda Media Centre
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