DRAWN & RECORDED:
CHEMIROCHA
In the 1930s, British missionaries played a Jimmie Rodgers record for Kenya’s Kipsigis tribe. What followed was a testament to the power of music to transcend borders.
Chemirocha uncovers the story behind the Kipsigis tribe’s love of the American country singer Jimmie Rodgers, how they recast his music in their own traditions and rhythms and gave him the moniker “Chemirocha”.
The mythical country music legend, Jimmie Rodgers, makes one last appearance from beyond the grave.
In creating the film, Kalakala strived to reflect as much of the original source material as possible. Characters were drawn based on the photography of the period, and the score includes the original Chemirocha recordings.