Queen of Katwe

It was a rare outing on Monday night with our Philippine friends Lorrie and Jonathan plus one Ugandan young man, Kasim. Ruth and I had read the book previously, heard good reviews of the Disney movie, but just couldn’t seem to find a time to watch it…until our friends came. Tickets were purchased to watch “Queen of Katwe.”

Katwe is one of the largest slum areas in Uganda; we drive by it on our way to the airport. And if you’re like the average person who is privileged to live outside of such a place, you tend to question, “Can anything good come from Katwe?” The book and the movie both answer that question with a resounding “YES” as God’s Word and His love are shared by lip and by life.

This true story moved all of us five children’s workers both to tears and laughter—and non-stop conversation the whole way home and into the evening meal. The all black cast does a masterful job of portraying how a Christian coach sacrificed his time and resources teaching the game of chess to a group of children from the Katwe slums of Kampala. We were all challenged by his life, tenacity, wisdom, and love that made a difference in the children’s lives. The coach was also driven by his conviction that chess can help children, seemingly locked in the cycle of poverty and violence, learn to think, plan, strategize, and determinedly break the mold with God’s help. The movie was filmed here and the scenes so authentic and familiar.  The main character, Phiona, eventually overcomes all challenges and becomes the best woman’s chess player in Uganda and is poised to become a Grandmaster champion—her dream.  Christian values inspire and engage the audience from start to finish. If the emotional content wasn’t yet quite enough, the end of the film shows the actual characters walking on stage with the actors from the movie.  May this movie cause more prayer for Uganda and the many at-risk children here and more determination for God's servants, especially those ministering to children, to be used by Him to make a difference for His glory.