Eitai – A Documentary Film Exploring Community, Togetherness and Change in Rural Uganda. (Screening and Panel Discussion)
The Eastern Africa Centre (EAC) at Nottingham Trent University was delighted to screen Eitai, a powerfully moving documentary exploring the challenges faced by a rural community in North-Eastern Uganda as told from their own perspectives, based on doctoral research conducted by Dr Sally Bashford-Squires, a PhD graduate of Nottingham Trent University.
Event details
Screening and panel discussion on Eitai documentary, Tuesday, 11 March at 09.30 am. This event was part of the 2nd Annual EAC Symposium, a two-day celebration of Africa-focused research across Nottingham Trent University.
EAC Symposium overview
The 2nd Annual Eastern Africa Centre Symposium took place from Tuesday, 11 March to Wednesday, 12 March 2025. It celebrated both academic and student research, as well as international partnerships and networks across a diverse range of research areas, including entrepreneurship, innovation, conflict settings, and African working landscapes.
About Eitai
Eitai an Ateso word for "community togetherness" was filmed in Teso, Uganda and co-produced with celebrated Masai filmmaker Sonyanga Weblan. The documentary is based on doctoral research conducted by Dr Sally Bashford-Squires, a PhD graduate of Nottingham Trent University.
Recognition and dissemination
Eitai was shortlisted for screening at the International Sociological Association Film Festival in Rabat, Morocco. Additionally, the documentary was screened at the University of Greenwich, where Dr Bashford-Squires is a Teaching Fellow in the School of Human Sciences, as well as two cinema screenings in Nottingham and a number of screenings in Kampala and Teso, Uganda.
Key themes
The documentary explores critical global issues, including the interconnected challenges of climate change, poverty, alcoholism, and gender-based violence (GBV). It highlights how social enterprise projects not only provide economic opportunities but also create safe spaces for knowledge sharing, environmental action through tree planting, and community sensitisation via music, drama, and dance.
Through vivid storytelling, Eitai underscores the importance of indigenous knowledge and communitarianism in addressing pressing global crises. It calls for stronger relationships among people, the land, and non-humans to mitigate further environmental degradation. The film also captures unique narratives on combating HIV and GBV, as told by participants through their lived experiences and cultural expressions.
The film and panel discussion celebrated the resourcefulness of communities in Teso and served as a platform for international knowledge exchange. The diverse panel, including colleagues from Teso, aimed to amplify majority-world perspectives on global challenges and foster cross-cultural dialogue.
Panellists
- Dr Sally Bashford-Squires, Teaching Fellow in Human Sciences, University of Greenwich, NTU PhD Graduate
- Christine Aruo, Counsellor at The Aids Support Organisation (TASO) Soroti branch
- Professor Linda Gibson, Professor of Global Public Health, School of Social Sciences, NTU
- Sonyanga Ole Ngais, Filmmaker and Graduate of MA Media and Globalisation, NTU
- Dr Mathew Nyashanu, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, NTU