KENYA: Hollywood film to be made about Kenyan negotiator who obtained the release of hostages held by pirates off Somali coast

Record ID: 361126

  • Title: KENYA: Hollywood film to be made about Kenyan negotiator who obtained the release of hostages held by pirates off Somali coast
  • Date: 23rd May 2009
  • Summary: MOMBASA, KENYA (RECENT) (REUTERS) ANDREW MWANGURA, MARITME CONSULTANT, WALKING ALONG THE SHORES OF INDIAN OCEAN IN MOMBASA MWANGURA EMERGING FROM IN BETWEEN TWO ROCKS VARIOUS OF MWANGURA WALKING ON THE BEACH WIDE OF MWANGURA'S LEGS AS HE WALKS BOAT CRUISING IN THE OCEAN MWANGURA STANDING MWANGURA WATCHING BOAT IN THE OCEAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDREW MWANGURA, MAR
  • Embargoed: 7th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVAECFZIO058TZTRPKVDZ26D9HT6
  • Story Text: Andrew Mwangura, formerly a Kenyan seaman and now a maritime consultant who rose to prominence for tracking down missing ships and negotiating the release of hostages held by pirates, will be portrayed in a Hollywood movie acted by Samuel l. Jackson.
    Mwangura, who runs the non-profit East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, has become a key figure in reporting and resolving hijacking cases off the coast of Somalia in recent years.
    Mwangura sees plans to make him the subject of a Hollywood movie as a tribute to merchant mariners.
    "I feel great and I feel it's a great honour to the merchant mariners of the world, not only Kenyans or Africans. But I think it's a great honour to all merchants mariners for what they have done to the community and to what they are doing and what they have done to the world," said Mwangura.
    Jackson's film company Uppity Films and director's Andras Hamori's H20 Motion Pictures has secured life rights to Mwangura's story.
    But Mwangura says he had not heard about Jackson until recently.
    "I have just heard about him, they say he is an actor and a director of a major film company in Hollywood and they say he wants to take the role of or want to act my life in this great movie. But I have never met him and there is plans for him to come down to Mombasa to be with me for one or two weeks.
    The non-profit anti-piracy group which Mwangura represents works to release endangered crews and vessels off the Coast of the Horn of Africa.
    Mwangura is pleased the film will drawn attention to the needs and rights of seafarers.
    "It's a story worthy going to Hollywood and as we started our campaign say 15 years ago, now I think that is what we set up. 15 years ago we came up with an idea, a programme because the seafarers' programme is a collective of programmes and one of these programmes is public awareness of the sea programmes," Mwangura said.
    He predicted that film would be successful because its storyline was based on a true story.
    "I have never thought that in my mind, so I think anyone can be an actor so long as it's a true story," said Mwangura.
    Mwangura, 47, receives no remuneration for his work but is happy that his story will get to be told.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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