EPISODE 1
Inspired by a true story.
A young African warrior unites with a famous British explorer to save his people from a despotic slave lord, but when he defies tribal customs his own tribe turns against him.
Production Note:
In this action adventure series, a young African boy called Chuma - son of a famous warrior - is pitted against an infamous Arab half breed named Shetani; The Devil. Shetani and his Ruga band of child soldiers lead the scourge of slavery in East Africa, separating families, destroying villages and purging ancient civilizations.
When Chuma's village is burned to the ground, his family killed, and his tribe decimated, he abandons all cultural traditions and makes a pact with a white man: An eccentric Scotsman named Dr. David Livingstone.
1. The Men who steal Good People
SUPER: Sub-Saharan Africa 1863.
In the smoky darkness of a village ceremonial hut, a wise Headman seeks answers from the Ancestors. With the tribe’s warriors watching him, he asks. How can my tribe be made safe from these people? The Spirits of the Ancestors lead him to a young boy, a 12-year-old named Chuma. Spying on the ceremony, Chuma hides beneath the Lala palms that make the wall of the ceremonial hut. Nobody sees him except for the old Headman. Chuma, an innocent goatherd, not yet initiated into the ways of men. How can a simple goatherd help the tribe?
Chuma’s mother catches Chuma spying on the ceremony. She sends him out of the village to look for a lost baby goat. If he finds the goat he might redeem himself with the Ancestors. Chuma searches everywhere. As night falls, he finds the baby goat up on a rock surrounded by a pack of hyena. Chuma throws rocks. The pack slowly turns and advances on Chuma.
Two women dart out of the tress and stand between Chuma and the hyena. They calm the beasts. One woman is an ancient sorcerer named Umi, the other is her young and beautiful apprentice, Entika. Umi is a servant of Life, a keeper of days, a healer of time. The Ancestors bend and guide time through her. She is shocked when she touches Chuma. Her many tattoos move and crawl around her arms. She stares at the shifting tattoos and occasionally at Chuma until, exhausted, she falls to her knees. She speaks in whispers to Entika, orders her to escort Chuma back to the main trail and home.
Chuma returns to find his village destroyed. Bodies scattered everywhere. Chuma stumbles through the smoking wreckage. The dying Headman sings his death song. He whispers to Chuma that an Arab half-breed named Shetani attacked the village. Many were carried away, including Chuma’s father.
The final scene from the script for Episode 1 follows...
