Mkoko
Client: Independent
Director: Paula Karanja
Producer: Paula Karanja, Fallohide Africa
Status: In Production
MKOKO is an interactive narrative experience in Virtual Reality and an Augmented Reality Book project.
Two estranged siblings are drawn into the spirit world of their ancestral coastal home, where they must mend a broken bond between humans and the Fal—ancient guardians of the land—or risk the destruction of both realms. Along the way, they face trickster spirits, unravel family secrets, and repair their strained relationship with the laws of nature.
Mkoko in Swahili refers to the mangrove tree, specifically species such as Rhizophora Mucronata, which grow in coastal intertidal zones. Kenya has lost over 80% of the original mangrove forest cover in the past 20 years, mainly due to unsustainable utilisation of the mangroves, with mangrove logging identified as the main stressor within the degraded sites.
Mkoko exists to start a conversation about what we owe to what we destroyed, and whether repair is possible when the wound is older than we are. Can you atone for a past you didn't create but still benefit from?
Tangu Utotoni (2022 - present) is an animated Augmented Reality series of digital illustrations developed as part of MKOKO and showcased at PNGs Only!, curated by Fallohide Africa and iHub Kenya.
Check in for more updates on the project.
