Serving up sharp social commentary presented as deadpan satire, I Am Not a Witch tells a tale of exploitation, oppression, and superstition in an African nation straddling the modern world and ancient beliefs. An 8-year-old girl (Maggie Mulubwa) living in a rural Zambian village is accused of witchcraft and quickly sent to a government "witch camp" when she refuses to either confirm or deny the accusation. Christened "Shula," she is the sole child in a community of old women who have accepted their position in a combination work camp/tourist attraction, where they are displayed like a sideshow. Shula becomes a goldmine for Mr. Banda (Henry B.J. Phiri), the government official who runs the camp for his own profit, and he puts her on TV and sells her services as a witch. Zambian-Welsh filmmaker Rungano Nyoni presents Shula’s ordeal as a surreal fairy tale (the women are all "leashed" by long, white ribbons, which are supposed to prevent them from flying away)—one with a dark, deadpan sense of humor that underscores but never undercuts the serious themes. The witches are all women who, with no legal recourse, accept their position and play the part, but they also band together to help and protect Shula from the hard labor and the worst of the exploitation they endure. Mulubwa centers the film with her open face and largely impassive expression that communicate a sense of dislocation, incredulity, and sadness. It’s a beautiful, funny, haunting, and devastating film. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
This title is included in our list of films that teach about Africa