The Battle For Laikipia review – captures a violent story as it happens

A conflict between indigenous communities and white settlers in a region ravaged by historical grievances and climate change is the subject of this powerful doc.

In central Kenya, insidious warfare is playing out on the arid plains of Laikipia County, as roving indigenous cow herders referred to as “pastoralists” are set upon by the gun-toting white, western families of British settlers attempting to make their living as more market-focused cattle farmers. Surely there should be enough land for these two farming traditions to live harmoniously side-by-side?

Yes, but not if there’s a major drought and barely any grass to feed the cattle. So the demarcation of land becomes an issue, aggression begins to bubble over into horrific violence, and the old spectres colonialism rear their ugly head. Directors Peter Murimi and Daphne Matziaraki aim to give both sides of the story in this survey of an ugly situation which has often been co-opted by political campaigners for their own nefarious ends.

In one chilling sequence, a white farmer taunts one of the pastoralists to his face, almost threatening to kill him, and entirely unworried that the camera is not only capturing his vile bullying, but is also on his side. Yet the fact that the film’s makers strive for objectivity doesn’t prevent us from sympathising with the locals who are merely trying to continue living a traditional and spiritual lifestyle.

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Published 4 Oct 2024

Tags: Daphne Matziaraki Peter Murimi