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Filmmaker and photographer, Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann embark on a journey that takes her to the island of Lamu. Her intentions, to make a documentary about the effects on Lamu’s community and the environment as it transforms from an obscure, predominantly Muslim Stone town to a huge Port town.
A gigantic port project and coal plant are the external elements that threaten to disrupt the rhythm of Lamu however the real disruption is that Philippa as we watch her confront a new spiritual awareness. Her commitment to a path of self-discovery takes her to a woman called Raya and her young sons, Ahmed and Abu Bakr.
It is in their home that she finds a narrative anchor and a more personal entry point into the mysteries of this old town. Fragments of Lamu life unfold like chapters in a book: a man scaling a fish, children bathing by a dock, a baptism, a visual diary of a woman not entirely sure of where she is headed. With her deepest instincts guiding her, we see Ms Ndisi Herrmann tackle the contradictions of being a modern, liberal woman embracing Islam and grappling with the complexities of her chosen faith.
