Lamu taps into film industry with ‘Sanura’ TV programme launch
The Lamu archipelago is set to raise its profile as a destination for film-making following the commissioning of a new TV drama series,
“Sanura”, whose episodes were shot in the county.
The show was launched at a colourful event held at the Mkunguni Square in Lamu Old Town on Monday evening.
The event was attended by renowned Kenyan actors and film producers, including Eddie Kimani, Ivy Wanjiku, Isack Gerson, Nyota Waziri and Sele Mzamil.
“Sanura” is an emotive and thrilling new telenovela about a young woman caught between preserving ancient tradition and forging her own path.
The story is set in the very heart of the picturesque Lamu Island and its sister islands of Pate and Shela.
Sanura, the central character, is a beautiful young lady who is caught up in a bitter clash between the society’s deep-rooted culture, beliefs and practices, and the liberated, critical and independent modern woman she aspires to be.
The show premiered on Maisha Magic Plus on Tuesday at 7.30pm East African Time. It will also air every weeknight at the same time.
Speaking at the launch, Daudi Anguka, a film-maker and the executive producer of the show, praised the Lamu islands’ rich traditional Swahili heritage, adding that it will lend “Sanura” authenticity.
Lamu Old Town, for instance, was listed as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2001 owing to its preserved culture and heritage spanning centuries.
The town is a key tourist hub for Lamu.
Mr Anguka reiterated that the new telenovela seeks to promote the culture and heritage of Lamu and sell it to the outside world.
Mr Anguka noted that “Sanura” will not only help preserve some of Kenya’s culture but also solidify the grasp of the Swahili language.
“’Sanura’ will generally promote the tourism industry in Lamu whose image has for years been tainted owing to terrorist attacks,” Mr Anguka said.
“We’ve stayed in Lamu since April shooting ‘Sanura’. We’re really enjoying our stay here. Lamu is safe and we believe our viewers will be fascinated by this new TV drama show we’re launching here today.”
Margaret Mathore, Maisha Magic Plus channel head, said the epic telenovela is the latest in the channel’s commitment to bringing authentic Kenyan stories to the screen.
Lamu, she added, is endowed with outstanding shooting locations that need to be explored.
“For the past five years, we’ve been in Kwale’s Funzi Island, where we shot our TV drama series, ‘Pete’, that ends today on our channel Maisha Magic Plus,” Ms Mathore.
“It will be replaced with ‘Sanura’, another fascinating drama series that was filmed in Lamu. ‘Sanura’ will also run for another five years. We’re doing all this after realising the potential of using TV drama series as a means of marketing Kwale, Lamu and other parts of Kenya.”
She added: “We continue to work with the best in Kenyan talent to create premium local entertainment that resonates deeply with our viewers and appeals to their imaginations, while keeping up with their evolving tastes and preferences. We’ve no doubt ‘Sanura’ will join the ranks of our audience’s favourites.”
Lamu County Trade, Tourism, Culture, and Industrialisation Executive Dismas Mwasambu expressed confidence that the selection of
Lamu as the next film-making destination is a crucial move that will help boost the image and promote the region as a top tourism destination.
“As a county government, we shall continue to cooperate with the film-makers to enable them to showcase Lamu’s uniqueness as a tourist destination as well as the rich traditional culture just through movies. This will consequently attract revenue for the county and the country at large,” Mr Mwasambu said.
