I Am Not a Witch (2017)

Directed by: Rungano Nyoni | 92 minutes | drama | Actors: Margaret Mulubwa, Henry BJ Phiri, Nancy Murilo, Margaret Z. Mwale, John Ng’Ambi, Becky Ngoma, John Tembo, Selita Zulu, Janet Chaile, Benfors’ Wee Do, Boyd Banda, Kalunda Banda

A witch’s life is not a bed of roses. Certainly not in Zambia. That’s pretty much the conclusion after seeing the international co-production ‘I Am Not a Witch’. In it, a Zambian girl is accused of witchcraft by her fellow villagers, after which she ends up in a colony of old witches. These take the girl under their wing, baptize her Shula and ensure that she is released from the heavy work on the land.

One day, Shula is spotted by the rambunctious government official Banba who sees the benefits of having a witch in his entourage. From now on, the girl must be blamed for crimes in Bamba’s district. But when it’s dry for far too long, Shula also has to use her magical power to make it rain again. Even for a witch, that’s quite a task.

‘I Am Not a Witch’ is the full-length debut of Rungano Nyoni, a young director who was born in Zambia but grew up in Wales. That Western education is clearly visible in this exotic art-house drama. The characters rely heavily on the western clichés of dark Africa. The government official is a fat chief who speaks in quasi-funny English. The medicine man is more reminiscent of Western comic books than of the literary work of Africans such as Achebe or Sembène. And then there are the women, who burst into song and dance every time the film calls for it. Like every Dutchman still wears clogs.

Although billed as drama, ‘I Am Not a Witch’ occasionally tries to lighten things up with humor, but it also relies too heavily on African clichés and is often too bland for words. Elderly witches wearing colorful wigs that go by names like Rahinna and Beeyencee (or something like that). That kind of bland.

Those who survive the clichés and the blandness can still enjoy this strange baking. The images are often eye-catching and the acting is quite decent. The greatest asset is the story itself, as if Gabriel García Márquez has crossed over to Africa for one of his more folkloric tales. It’s that story that keeps you looking, even if you see the end coming from miles away. Like a thundercloud in a clear sky.