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Some of us only dare follow our dreams, yet for a young Moroccan man it seemed as though destiny was calling. Being Moroccan, Othmane Zolati wasn’t content with simply living in and touring his own country, a famous film setting for Casablanca and shooting destination for TV shows like Game of Thrones. While a North African country, Morocco and its people seem to feel more at home with the Arab states rather than the African continent as Zolati explains. Expected to make a home, raise a family and buy a car, he yearned for something more to his time on this beautiful planet.

For many, this daydreaming would stop there but for Othmane it was the spark he needed to escape the burden of expectation bestowed upon him by his family and society. Being 20, it was now or never as Zolati embarked on his grand cross-continent Africa & I adventure with only $80, a backpack and a camera. This idea of hitting the rambling road and discovering new people, places and experiences brings out the Christopher McCandless in most natural born nomads. Living by your wits, making new friends and trusting in the kindness of strangers sounds like a dream or nightmare depending on who you ask.

While Zolati is one such north-to-south pioneer, he’s one of many who have made it their goal to cross the continent proving that it’s entirely possible with enough time and get-go. South Korea is renowned for its diligence and hard work ethic with bedrooms at offices and long hours. Yet, escaping the rat race for several months one such adventurer named Boon took to his bicycle armed with wet wipes for bathing and a desire to span the great continent. Zolati’s journey is more eclectic and undulating, hitchhiking lifts on trucks, travelling on his bicycle, skateboard or by foot with more zigzagging across the continent sticking closely to the coast.

Documenting Zolati’s expedition of Africa by way of video camera over a three-year period, we get an inside look at life for a nomadic traveler across 30,000km and through 24 countries. Carrying the spirit of Bob Marley and wearing soccer shirts from various nations – we bear witness to a remarkable quest for personal freedom in search of the true African spirit. Warned against travelling through conflict zones, the intrepid explorer makes his way from North Africa through West Africa across to East Africa, making South Africa his final destination.

“A shortcut they said…”

Meeting many people from different African nations, we get a first-hand and personal understanding of culture, hospitality, on-the-go food and border control as the affable young man integrates himself, staying at various places for months at a time. An exhilarating undertaking, those with a restless Into the Wild spirit will enjoy this vicarious African & I adventure as the young Othmane faces the threat of malaria, deportation, dehydration, dislocation and even mercenaries.

Demonstrating that Africa is much friendlier and welcoming than its reputation would have you believe, this is an uplifting and spirited travelogue and ode to Africa’s hospitality. By way of interview, we get the story from the man himself who collated what must have been thousands of hours of footage to whittle down his grand journey into the space of 90 minutes. Having arrived in South Africa, Zolati connected with a number of SAFTA-winning film people including co-director Chris Green (Chasing the Sun) in order to make this 90 minute Africa & I documentary possible.

Using on-the-ground coverage of destinations including Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa it’s a beautiful and stirring mash up of people, cultures and places. Having the man himself as our narrator and guide offers some comfort through the challenges and insights into the nature of navigating your way across this diverse and magical continent.

The bottom line: Inspiring

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Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling is 2Oceansvibe’s Resident Film Critic, a “thought leader” (AFDA) and “our generation’s Barry Ronge” (Brothers Streep), who continues to review, write, present, promote and adjudicate film for a host of websites, radio stations, magazines, newspapers, TV shows, festivals and events.

*Watch great cinema online with Labia Home Screen! The Labia Theatre is an iconic independent theatre at 68 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town. They recently celebrated their 70th year and have successfully transitioned to digital projectors. In addition to their 4 cinemas, they’ve now added a “5th” screen by launching their Home Screen pay-per-view video-on-demand streaming service.

Labia Home Screen enables viewers to watch the theatre’s carefully curated content from the comfort of their home from anywhere in South Africa. As they open their box office in what will be a new normal, this convenient streaming service is helping the much-loved cinema continue to provide high quality, award-winning films to their loyal patrons.