1980s Nairobi Home Video

This is messy, fast-cut 1980s home video shot on a VHS camcorder in a "plot" — a cluster of rented rooms around a shared dirt courtyard — in Nairobi's Jericho estate, Kenya. All people are Kenyan, and any speech, shouting, or chatter heard is in Swahili or Sheng, with the natural rhythm and intonation of East African Swahili speakers. Cuts happen very frequently, around every 1.5 seconds. The camera jumps quickly between lots of different shots: different angles of the mabati (corrugated iron) roofs and doorways, people outside, the dirt courtyard, clotheslines strung between buildings, a parked Peugeot 504 or VW Kombi, jerry cans by the communal water tap, and random moments happening around the compound. Each person has exactly two hands and anatomically correct arms; actions like opening a tap or pinning clothes to a line are done simply and naturally with two hands, clothespins pushed down onto the line from above. The editing feels spontaneous and slightly chaotic, as if the person filming keeps changing their mind about what to show. The camera is extremely shaky and handheld, with constant movement and loose framing. The footage has the distinctive texture and color of real 1980s VHS video. Natural sound only, recorded with the built-in microphone. The result must feel like genuine, fast and chaotic home video from someone randomly filming life in a Nairobi housing estate in the 1980s.

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