The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of
There are always some kids who thrive in alternative realities and Reuben Odanga is one of them. Growing up in Mombasa he was always that guy centre stage of a story in the estate. When he was sent to boarding school at St Peters Mumias Boys primary he connected with Arnold Wandati, a teacher who could fuel that passion. That stewardship led Reuben to being selected as the Best Actor in the Kenya Schools and Drama Festival in 1996. He later joined Kakamega High school where he met legendary drama teacher Oliver Minishi who continued to nurture his creative spark.Fast forward to after secondary and he hoped to go to Film School in South Africa. His creativity got him the all important admission but the visa required a years’ fees in the bank, money he didn’t have. Friends came together and did a harambee which raised half of the fees, but it still wasn’t enough. The only option left was his father selling some land to make up the difference, but with several other children, investing in a degree in Film Studies was not an investment his dad was willing to make and Reuben’s family couldn’t raise the fees any other way. So he lost his chance. Fuelled by a sense of shame he invested the harambee donations into some shares and relocated to Nairobi. After all he had raised money he couldn’t give back and was no longer heading down south to school, he felt he just couldn’t face his friends who had supported him.
Once in the big city he went after any job he could get, and eventually got signed on as a runner for a production house. The opportunity paid “on job” basis meaning no assured income. He was living on a friends couch but it was something, and it was in media. For the next few years he learned everything he could about the world of film – invaluable hands on experience. When it was time to strike out on his own, with the money from the harambee he bought his first still photography camera and a computer and opened his own business. For the next four years he did wedding. But the film bug never left so with the resources he had saved, he partnered with like-minded friends and headed back to pwani, to work with the incredibly talented actors from the coast. Once there, he got to work scripting to produce his own idea. He shot a pilot which he tried to sell to local media houses. Funny enough no one was interested, until he got a meeting with DSTV who immediately snapped it up. Success at last! Or was it? Given that it was his first endeavour, he had underestimated some of the costs for production and ended up in major debt after the final delivery of the project. Another lesson on his journey.
Reuben is nothing if not tenacious and decided long ago to never give up on his dream of being a filmmaker. Realising the demand for home grown content he focused on producing films in Swahili which proved popular not only in Kenya but in Tanzania too. His work was good enough for two of his films – Saida and Shhh! to be nominated and shortlisted at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. Although he didn’t win, the nominations showed that his work was valued and that his lifelong dream was valid.
Reuben’s journey has been one of fits and starts, not a straightforward path but ultimately a successful one. Today, more than 12 years after that first disappointment that took him to Nairobi he stands as a self-made filmmaker, leading Multan Productions, developing enthralling stories on film and TV like Saida, Nuru, Nira and the soon to be released Shadows. Currently he is producing and directing a sixty episode commissioned telenovela for Mnet. These are stories that we connect to and eagerly devour each week, projects that enable actors to shine and production talent to learn and to thrive. Reuben’s commitment to powerfully telling our stories is an endeavour that builds Kenya each day.
For more about Reuben’s work check out Saida on Citizen each week