The Apprentice, Kenyan Style

Topics: Conflict and War
Countries: Kenya

I know that most everybody is tired of reality television by now. But a new documentary from Kenya that touts itself as "Apprentice meets Big Brother" is definitely worth watching.

Out of 5,000 applicants, the documentary follows six young Kenyans creating business plans in order to win prize money needed to launch their ideas.

Who competed? A young woman who wants to begin a translation service catering to visiting Chinese business people. An outspoken and confident young man, Oscar, wants to start an IT business.

What's most interesting about this film is that the filmmaker returns to these peoples' lives to discover that many of their entrepreneurial aspirations haven't gone anywhere because of the recent post-election violence. Who needs translation services when all international conferences have been canceled? Who needs hotel rooms or safaris when tourism has dropped by 90 percent? Even the plans of the young man who wanted to start a dairy co-op have been halted.

These are the stories that demonstrate that violent conflict has wider effects than claiming lives and destroying homes-- it has the potential to limit the entrepreneurial dreams of Kenya's best and brightest.

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