by Jeroen van Velzen
A packed train rolls through Tanzania on a multi-day trip from the capital to the province. In third class, charismatic Massai Isaya has taken his place next to his grandson William, who, to his grandfather’s complete incomprehension, is earning his money in urban show business. A compartment further ahead, we come across the entrepreneurial Kenyan Ruki, who was forcibly married as a young girl and then later left to fend for herself as a single mother. At the front of the train among the wealthier passengers, we encounter the enigmatic voice of priest and former criminal Peter, who, whether asked or not, takes the sorrows of his fellow passengers upon himself. Director Jeroen van Velzen's TANZANIA TRANSIT highlights the fates of various protagonists who, despite having struggled with difficult circumstances in their past, bravely face an uncertain future.