The Girl In The Yellow Jumper
One of the greatest Ugandan movies that came out during the Covid 19 pandemic. The movie was an instant hit!
Despite the fact that the movie was shoot from 2018 and ended in 2019,the anticipated release on April 18, 2020 was not realized due to Corona Virus induced Lockdown.
The Girl in the Yellow Jumper was the first ever local( Ugandan) film to be acquired by Netflix The movie premiered on Netflix on 26 December 2021.
The Girl In The Yellow Jumper Movie Plot
The movie plot is all about Uganda and Africa as I’m going to span out for you.
Loukman Ali ,the movie’s Director starts out with action.A sleepy Jim Akena (real name Michael Wawuwo Jr.) is in the sitting room watching news when suddenly he is abducted.
The next scene ushers the movie watcher into a breath-taking scenery. Green plains with a long road slithering through. A car stops to give a lift to someone.
The driver is Patrick Asimwe ,who is a Policeman (real name Maurice Kirya) giving a lift to Jim. An Old man is handcuffed in Patrick’s sit. He is one of the witnesses to the murder case about the “Cigarette Butt – Killer.”
This is the platform through which the rest of the Movie’s story is told. But is all the conversation the truth?
Bladda”: A Ugandan games in the 90’s.
Roughly fifteen minutes into the movie, Patrick in an attempt to have a conversation with Jim, narrates to him about his old days.
Patrick speaks of a a girl named Suzan whom they used to play with a game called “Bladda.” Bladda was popularized played by Ugandan and East African children around the 90’s and popularized by Elizabeth Naggayi.
The game looks like “Single Dutch”. Consequently, a minimum of 3 players are required. Two players stand in front of each other. They tied a rope around their ankles. One player would then jump into the rope without stepping the rope, if that person succeeded, the rope would be raised higher.
Unfortunately, due to passage of time ,the Bladda game is becoming extinct. As the movie puts it, perhaps because it’s not a downloadable App, that is why its phasing out .
Stories And Proverbs In The Girl In The Yellow Jumper
In Uganda and Africa as a whole proverbs and stories are often used during conversations. Patrick begins the conversation by stating the saying “ No good deed goes unpunished. “
He goes ahead to narrate to Jim about the sad ordeal that happened to Mama Suzan. Apparently, on a stormy and rainy night, an old – woman seeking shelter knocks on people’s doors in vain.
Mama Suzan acts as a good Samaritan and lets in the old woman. The next morning the village woke up to a murder scene : 4 people dead. One person strangled, three stabbed dead.
Patrick eventually ends his story with another proverb : “ Sometimes the right/ good thing is not always the right thing to do.” He wonders whether giving a lift to Jim is actually a good deed that might be punished later on.
A bit on the History of Christianity…
In response to Patrick’s assumptions, Jim narrates his story of how he came to be in the situation he is in. Jim says two ladies abducted him, whom are momentarily dubbed “religious avengers”.
The reason behind the abduction is that Jim made a joke of Jesus. Patrick chips in with a bit of history of how Christianity came to be popular in Uganda and Africa. He says Christianity by then was so extreme. They took land from Africans and beat them into submission.
Injustices that go scotch free
In a revelation of the true story about Jim, Vicky ( real name Gladys Oyenbot ) says Jim is a sexual pervert who after impregnating a 12 year old girl had tried an abortion on her. The conditions worsens and the young girl dies.
Vicky and her friend take matters into their own hands to bring justice to the young girl . In closing stages of the movie, the “cigarette Butt Killer” is revealed to be the old man who all along has been in Patrick’s car as a witness.
The old man had years back been accused of Witchcraft, his house burnt down, family killed and land taken. He tried to go to the Police but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He then decided to take matters into his own hands by becoming the serial killer.
Additionally, you can read about a powerful award Loukman won later in 2022 here.