German students use Mandera bus attack story to make film on religious integration

Wednesday March 30, 2016

Katja Benrath from a German film school talks to Loice Anyango, a survivor of the December 2015 Mandera bus attack. Benrath and her two colleagues are working on a short film on religious relations following the inspiring story of Muslims shielded Christians against an Al-Shabaab during the attack. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

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Three German students have camped in Mandera to shoot a short film on religious integration and relation as the world unites against terrorism.

The film is inspired by an attack on a Mandera-bound bus in December 2015 in which Muslims shielded Christians from Al-Shabaab attackers by offering them their Islamic attire to disguise themselves.

Led by production manager Tobias Rosen, their intended short film is to show the world that terrorism is not about religion but about a few individuals with ill motives.

“We were so impressed to read a story in the Nation that Muslims had protected Christians during a bus attack in Mandera and [we] felt something has to be done to pull the world towards fighting the vice,” said Mr Rosen.

The storyline of the film is based on the December 21, 2015 bus attack in which two people were killed, several others injured and many Christians saved by Muslims as Al-Shabaab militants struck.

GIVEN ISLAMIC CLOTHING

Loice Anyango, the only Christian lady on board on the fateful day, was given Islamic clothing by Muslim ladies to disguise herself as a Muslim.

“It was my first trip to Mandera to see my husband who was not coming home for the December holidays and it is one day in life I would wish to forget,” said Anyango who hails from Oyugis.

Mandera County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia welcomed the film production saying it would show to the world the good religious relationship between Christians and Muslims in Mandera.

“Terrorism is not about religion but a personal ideology aiming at creating a religious divide worldwide and telling a true story on the religious integration would see the world united in the fight against terrorism,” said Mr Shisia.

He said the Somali community who are mainly Muslims are Kenyans and needed to stay and live in peace with other communities.

“We are working towards [living as] one people, one nation and not one nation and different people,” said Mr Shisia.

A primary school teacher who was injured during the attack while fighting for the Christians succumbed to bullet injuries while undergoing treatment in Naiobi.

Mrs Dunia Abdow, the widow of Mr Sala Farah described her late husband as a dedicated and loving man who never showed discrimination.

“He was coming back home from Maasai Mara University where he had enrolled for a degree programme in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) but was shot by Al-Shabaab,” said the widow.

“I was told he was protecting Christians after their bus was attacked by bad people,” said Mrs Abdow, a mother of six.

Her youngest son is two months old and was born after the death of his father.

Farah taught at Mandera Township Primary School where he was the deputy headmaster.

“We are working on the script by getting the views of the survivors and all the concerned people before we shoot the film in August here in Kenya with Kenyan actors,” said Mr Rosen.

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