Uganda Photographer Doc Goes Viral
TheeNinjaC raved about Ntare Mwine's heartfelt photographer documentary set in Uganda, with the post getting 63 likes and 11K+ views. Nordic Times called Ken Burns' *The Vietnam War* (2017) a "historical warning." The Uganda doc focuses on visual storytelling and human experiences.
The documentary, titled *Memories of Love Returned*, is the culmination of a 22-year journey for filmmaker Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine that began with a chance encounter. In 2002, Mwine's car broke down in the small Ugandan town of Mbirizi, leading him to stumble upon the photo studio of Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo. Kibaate, a rural photographer, had been documenting the lives of his community for over five decades, creating an extensive visual archive of everyday life in post-independence Uganda. His work captured intimate moments, from weddings and graduations to family portraits, preserving the social history of the region. Mwine's project to preserve and share this legacy is executive produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. The film explores Kibaate's vast archive, which consisted of over 50,000 negatives. It delves into the emotional impact of his photographs on the generations of families he documented, uncovering forgotten images and long-buried family secrets. The documentary also examines the complexities of Kibaate's personal life, including the discovery that he had 47 children with more than 12 wives. Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is a Ugandan-American actor, playwright, photographer, and documentarian. He has appeared in films like *Blood Diamond* and TV series such as *The Lincoln Lawyer*. His photographic work has been exhibited at the United Nations and the UCLA Fowler Museum. *Memories of Love Returned* has been recognized at several film festivals, winning the Audience Award at the Pan African Film Festival and being named best documentary at the Africa International Film Festival. It was also selected as one of the Top Ten African Documentaries of 2024 by OkayAfrica. The film has recently had screenings in Uganda, including in Kibaate's hometown of Mbirizi.
