Film Review: In Mbuland, fighting malaria is a collective responsibility

Mbuland opens with a vivid image.

One that is all too real for anyone living in this part of the world. A scourge of mosquitoes zoom through a swamp, a favored dwelling and breeding place. Excited by the scent of blood, they make their way into a household where an innocent infant lies. As the baby sleeps, the image zooms in on one of the mosquitoes as it sinks mouth parts into soft skin and begins sucking, feeding fat on the blood meal. The baby cries out then a swatting sound is heard.

That is how Malaria is spread.

Directed by Tanzanian filmmaker, Gwamaka Mwabuka, Mbuland is one of three short, animated films commissioned by Comic Relief, the UK-based charity organisation as part of the “Fighting Malaria…On Screen” initiative, the cinematic arm of a larger five-year partnership project between Comic Relief and global healthcare company, GSK.

The partnership between Comic Relief and GSK provides strategically targeted grants to organizations tackling malaria and improving health in Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. At about 14 minutes long, Mbuland is the longest of the three films in the “Fighting Malaria…On Screen” project.

Mwabuka’s film is also the one with the most accomplished animation design as the eye-popping images practically jump out of the screen.

With Mbuland, Mwabuka embraces the hero’s journey, that most common of animated film tropes. Mbuland’s hero is young Heri, a bright and conscientious kid determined to rid his small village of malaria after he has witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of the illness. His kid sister succumbed to the ailment and his mother’s fever may be malaria as well. She just needs to take a test first.

Where there is a hero, a villain is lurking in the corner. The villains in this case are the blood guzzling Anopheles mosquitoes. In Mbuland, these mosquitoes are depicted as a specialized operation whose mission it is to unleash disease on the community. It is the traditional good versus evil set up as Heri races against time to put a stop to the designs of the evil mosquitoes, just as malaria season approaches in the community.

Written by Padili James, Mbuland is a more of a collaborative project than it is the vision of a singular filmmaker. And it is this collaboration that makes it a stronger film. Director Mwabuka does not skimp on apportioning blame where some is due. It is indeed possible to eliminate malaria and to save millions of lives while at it. Elimination has been achieved in at least 12 countries-including Algeria and Morocco since the year 2000.

For the fictional Mbuland community and other real places where malaria has remained a menace, there seems to be an underlying failure of health and political leadership. Heri’s village under new leadership, has abandoned old, hygienic ways of living, opening up a conducive environment for malaria parasites to thrive.

But Heri is nothing if not determined.

He rallies his mates and they kickstart a highly effective behavioral change campaign that promotes environmental hygiene and the use of insecticide treated nets. Mwabuka underscores this message with catchy, tunes that help pass the message home while making for fun listening. It is hard to not be charmed by the crowd-pleasing aesthetics of Mbuland. Of the Fighting Malaria… projects, Mbuland is probably the most likely to enjoy widespread support particularly from kids as it appeals directly to that demographic.

Mbuland advocates personal and collective responsibility in the fight against malaria and urges for a renewal of energies where stasis might have set in. Eliminating malaria is a possibility, one that can be achieved if everyone would only play their part. The hero lies in every one of us.


This blog piece is commissioned by the Fighting Malaria, Improving Health Partnership but the views expressed are that of the author.

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