Hollywood here I come

By Linah Benyawa

He has been in the spotlight, dishing out information on Somali pirates and hijacked vessels, and even getting himself in trouble with the law for supposedly speaking out of turn. But Andrew Mwangura may soon shift from newspaper pages and prime time TV news to the big screen. And it doesn’t get bigger than Hollywood.

A film on the life and work of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme co-ordinator is set to be shot soon. Hollywood’s Uppity Films and Andras Hamori’s H20 Motion Pictures have contacted Mwangura over the plans, and reportedly secured rights to tell his story. To add a twist to the tale, one of Hollywood’s most famous actors, Samuel L Jackson will play the role of Mwangura.

In an interview with The Standard yesterday, Mwangura termed the plans by the film producers as a great honour to suffering merchant mariners all over the world.

"I was surprised at first and kept on asking why they chose me. But I later came to consider it an honour to seafarers," he says.

Life story

Mwangura, who retired from working at sea to take up his job as a lobbyist for other seamen, also revealed that Jackson would come to Kenya and stay for a month. His mission? To master Mwangura’s lifestyle from the clothes he wears, the food he eats and his life at sea.

He added that he has been asked to preserve all his valuables and clothes from the time he started working.

"I’m supposed to look for my old clothes, the manual typewriter I used to work with among other things to help the actor since there would be scenes about my past life," explains Mwangura.

The flick

But beyond individual fame and fortune, he also sees the movie as one that would boost tourism at the Coast.

"Mombasa is set to benefit since most of the film will be shot here," he says.

And it gets better for Mwangura as some academics have approached him for a documentary on his life while a researcher, whose name he does not disclose, plans to write a book on him.

Mwangura, 47, who has headed the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme for 10 years, came to the limelight when officers from the Criminal Investigation Department arrested him on October 1, last year, over allegations that he made alarming statements touching the security of the country. He was charged with the offence the following day, and an additional one of being in possession of four rolls of bhang valued at Sh40. Though he pleaded not guilty, he was denied bail and remanded until October 7. He is now out on bail.

He had earlier reported that the Ukrainian Ship MV Faina, that was hijacked by Somali pirates, was carrying arms bound for Southern Sudan, which is under an arms embargo. The Government insisted the cargo belonged to Kenya. Pirates had seized the ship on September 25, last year, and there had been fears that the military hardware would fall into the hands of Somali insurgents fighting the weak transitional government. The ship was released on February 2, after ransom was paid. The money was flown from Wilson Airport, Nairobi, by a chopper and parachuted down to the Somalia coast.

Negotiating with pirates

Mwangura has played a role in the unarmed release of many seafarers and their vessels from the hands of Somali pirates through negotiations. He has been opposed to the use of force to rescue hijacked ships as he contends that it would endanger the lives of the hostages.

"(Andrew) has the trust of the pirates and the ship owners, and his loyalty is to the kidnapped crews that get caught in the middle of these episodes," Hamori told Variety magazine.

Jackson, a veteran of action movies, is popular for the movie Pulp Fiction. He is currently shooting the Iron Man 2, where he acts as a superhero. But playing a professional pirate negotiator may be new territory. The Somali coastline has become one of the most dangerous zones in the world with frequent attacks on vessels, despite patrols by foreign navies.

Mwangura recently told British newspaper, The Guardian, recently that he did not mind the casting of Jackson: "They say he looks like me. I have not seen him. I don’t have time to go to the cinema and do social activities."