Queen of Katwe

No one should live the way the people of Katwe do. School should not be merely for those who can afford school. Children should not have to work to sell things in order to pay rent on a hovel. The crime rate in Katwe is very high. The employment rate is very low. These are desperate people who do not have enough in the way of opportunity. There are intelligent, capable people there as anywhere; what there is not is sufficient for them to live on. Children must carry water. If they are run down in the streets, their family may have to choose between rent and medical care.

Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) was born in Katwe. Her mother, Nakku Harriet (Lupita Nyong’o), is raising four children alone. Her husband has died. She and the children sell things on the streets. Her older daughter, Night (Taryn Kyaze), wants to run off with a wealthier boy. Her older son does his selling as quickly as possible and runs off. Phiona discovers that he is going to a club run by Robert Kotende (David Oyelowo), where he is learning chess. Phiona herself learns chess and discovers that she is very, very good at it.

It’s hard to blame Harriet for not trusting Kotende, and it’s not just “he wants to traffic my children.” Chess is one of those things that can’t be everyone’s way out. Phiona is spectacular. She thinks at least eight moves ahead. One of the other children later accuses her of reading his mind. Obviously this is not what’s happening. She’s just very very good indeed. Not everyone is that good or can be, and even if you understand that something like chess can be a path to a better world, it won’t be for everyone.

That’s the problem with these inspirational movies. Phiona Mutesi no longer lives in Katwe. In fact, she currently lives in Canada, and for a while, she lived not far from me; she went to college in Kirkland, Washington. She originally planned to major in sociology and return home to benefit Kampala. She ended up majoring in business and works for a professional services network, and I had to look up what that even is. I’m not trying to shame her. But it remains true that Phiona is out and the problems in Katwe remain. Not every child had her chance.

The film goes out of its way to praise Harriet for being strong and determined and all that. But did she have the opportunity to be smart? Not really. It’s not on her. It’s on her environment. But that’s the whole point. She didn’t have the education, and she didn’t have the backing. Other women suggest that she should essentially sell herself to have a home and food and things, because she’s got to sell something either way. It’s maddening to see what she has to resort to in order to give Phiona the chances she deserves.

The people of Katwe have skills. Oh, perhaps not chess. Apparently the area is well known for its artisans. Historically, they learned to repair imported technology and, in so doing, learned how to manufacture local approximations themselves. Some people there have been incredibly creative and skilled for generations. It would be in everyone’s best interests to improve access to education, not to mention basics like food, water, and housing, for the people of Katwe. And the people of everywhere else as well.