This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
At just 21 years old, Gloria Kawira is a shining star in both the medical and film industries. A fourth-year medicine and surgery student at Egerton University, Kawira's film 'Pear' has been nominated for the Best Scene Shot By Phone award in the Film Scene Festival in the United States.
Published on June 17, 2020, Kawira's film tells the story of Anita, a naive girl who is guided by her moral values but struggles to stay true to them in the face of peer pressure and curiosity.
As Anita navigates the challenges of university life, she finds herself in a party where she is raped, leading her down a path of depression and violence. The film is a powerful representation of the impact of trauma on an individual's life and character.
“We named the film PEAR in scrabble form which can be reorganised to symbolise the scrabble of life and how things happening around us can change who we end up becoming. Also because of the fruit pear which turns color once bitten to symbolise how Anita’s life, mental state and character changed after being raped,” Kawira explained.
Kawira is not only a talented filmmaker but also an accomplished actress, having made numerous appearances in movies and plays. She is currently pursuing an acting course at Nairobi Performing Arts and has been involved in several human rights activism projects, including sexual and reproductive health education and gender-based violence awareness.
“The two careers give me a chance to give back to the community. Medicine is by saving lives whereas acting by giving meaning to people’s lives by telling stories that bring change,” Kawira said.
