'Memoirs of a Black Girl’—reflecting on the resilience and determination of the black girl child

Thato Mwosa, a Botswana-born award-winning illustrator, playwright, and filmmaker, has continued her graceful rise with her first feature movie, 'Memoirs of a Black Girl'. While currently a Visual Media Arts lecturer at Emerson College and Film teacher at Brookline High School, the movie draws on her previous teaching role at Roxbury's Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and celebrates her previous students and the Roxbury community.

'Memoirs of a Black Girl' is a coming-of-age story that explores the lives of diverse urban students in an underserved high school just outside of Boston'. It premiered at the 2021 Boston Globe's Black History Month Film Festival and won Best Feature Film at the 2021 Hamilton Black Film Festival.

The film was executive produced by Kioko Mwosa and stars Boston-native Khai Tyler. It shows the battles of a brilliant student, Aisha Johnson (Khai Tyler), who is up for a prestigious scholarship but has to survive and navigate life as her future is in jeopardy.

Mwosa believes this is the true nature of the black girl child and says her movie will address salient issues surrounding the academic environment, not just in the African continent but the world at large. Aspects of the high school experience, such as bullying, transcend borders or continents and are what Mwosa aims to highlight, the universality of these issues.

“I see this movie as a reflection of our society, in general, the young people all over the world; where they are and what they have to do. This movie is relatable to many countries, whether in Africa or Asia or any part of the world because I think young people are the same everywhere. High school is similar everywhere. ”

Speaking further, Mwosa said the film shows the victimization of black girls but, more importantly, their resilience. It speaks of the brilliance in never giving up and overcoming the barriers placed before us, walking around the obstacles, and keeping the doors open for ourselves, and this is hopefully the key takeaway by the audience.

“[…] It’s trying to show that black girls can be brilliant and they can be smart, and they can have big dreams, and that’s what Aisha was. Even though she was a victim, she overcame that victim hold and still went for her goals.”

By telling the story of Aisha, Mwosa also hopes to inspire a change within the school system as she encourages the re-evaluation of policies surrounding bullying, that they would protect those reporting, helping students open up and feel safe.

Additionally, the film shines a torch on elements not often showcased in other coming-of-age stories. The feature of a black girl as the protagonist is one of the elements that contribute to its uniqueness and the subtle incorporation of many immigrant voices, especially from the black diaspora. As Mwosa herself is an immigrant living in the melting pot that is Boston, this has been reflected in her work.

The film did not come to fruition without its challenges. Much like the film's key takeaway, Mwosa opened the door for herself as she faced a lack of funding for the film. Being a woman and an African filmmaker only made that journey more difficult. The opportunities for funding that were so easily afforded to most of her male counterparts were unreachable as women in filmmaking do not receive the same trust and support in the filmmaking process. Eventually, unable to secure outside funding, Mwosa funded the project herself.

“Sometimes, you gotta give yourself permission to get it done. When I got it done, in the end, I got it done by myself with the help of my husband, and the movie is doing well, but I did not wait for someone to say yes to me. There were a lot of no’s, and I was never given a yes. I said yes to myself in the end, and I invested in my own dream to make this film happen.”

Despite its difficulties, Mwosa positively reflects on her journey from Botswana to the United States and the bodies of works it has inspired her to create.

"Boston is a global place. When you dissect the black population in Boston, they are from everywhere; Americans, Caribbeans, and Africans form a mosaic of the black diaspora. I feel that I belong in this cultural melting pot. […] As an African living here, I know I have to fight to tell our stories. I have to fight to be heard and seen, and I do it through art. I created a game called SAWA African Trivia Card Game so people can know more about Africa. I did it to dispel the myths about Africa as a dark continent, highlighting achievements in technological innovation and arts, etc. I also wrote a children's book, 14 African Women Who Made History. I wanted to celebrate and recognize phenomenal African women".