Battle on Buka Street

So I got the opportunity to watch Battle on Buka Street today, the 14th of January, and I cried so much; I don’t think I have cried like this in a very long while. You know, those tears that just keep flowing. I can’t remember precisely when the tears started flowing; however, when they started, they just kept flowing. The movie is supposed to make me laugh, but oh boy, I cried as much as I laughed mehnnnnn.

The movie line is about two co-wives who had this deep rivalry, which they transferred to their children from the very first day they were born (the two babies by the two wives were born on the same day coincidentally). The writer sure did a beautiful job. The movie was engagingly scripted and well-played by the actors. Although it is a comedy film, it touches on many advocacy and psychosocial issues, from stigmatisation, family problems, domestic violence, socio-economic status, corruption, ethnicity, youth leadership, criminal justice and policing, etc.

I don’t know if I cried because of the lenses I was using to watch it; remember, I am a Muslimah psychotherapist, a scholar-practitioner and an advocate who advocates for children and women. My research interest is on stigmatisation, adverse childhood experiences and shame… I could feel the emotions and could understand and deeply empathise with every single actor, especially the two main characters. I especially felt so much for Awele…

Or perhaps I cried because of the state I was in … I watched the movie mindfully, savouring every single part of it. I let my vulnerable side out so well. On watching it, you may not feel as deeply as I felt, or you may… who knows. As for me, I felt so many emotions that at the end of the movie, I was stunned … from feeling frustration, sadness, tense, love, anger, disgust, anxiety, surprise, scared, interest, pride, enthrallment, perplex, … to being joyful. It was really a rollercoaster.

Among other lessons, the most powerful lesson for me is regardless of your experience and upbringing; you can always rise above hatred, vengeance and vendetta. You can love, unite, and grow into an incredible individual with a good soul. I won’t spoil the movie for you by narrating to you what happened; however, I invite you to watch it if you haven’t watched it and you are a cinema movie person. If you have watched it, share how the movie has impacted you and what you enjoyed about it.

Keep growing