• Brahim depicts what it means to grow up in Africa’s largest slum, Kibera
Image: COURTESY
Brahim Ouma, like any young actor in Kenya, has waited for his big moment on screen.
The 21-year-old actor has been featured in several commercials, short films and minor roles in TV shows like Famous.
In Pepeta, the latest Showmax Original, Brahim gets his biggest role yet, playing the lead character Junior, a boy of only 17, whose very complex and hopeless world ushers us into the realities of what it means to grow up in Africa’s largest slum, Kibera.
"As an upcoming actor, I’m humbled that I got this role because so many good young actors auditioned for it," he said, adding that he was intimidated at first when he met his peers at the audition.
When the casting call for Junior was made, 50 young actors turned up to audition, a process that took 14 days to find the perfect fit, Pepeta casting director Charles Ouda said.
"We knew Brahim had something special when he came in for the callback,” Charles said.
“He took direction well and was constantly working on the life and journey of his character. He was willing to do the work and even grow his character’s relationships with everyone he was meant to interact with on screen.”
Pepeta is full of vibrant young actors between the ages of 12 and 25, who, like Brahim are getting their first shot at a major production.
For some like Eric Aswani, a 23-year-old footballer with dreams of turning pro, Pepeta is his first-ever acting role.
For them, this is their chance to prove themselves in an industry that has sometimes been accused of recycling the same old faces.
"I think it's about time," Brahim says.
"The younger generation has a lot to bring to the table: creativity, energy and zeal. And on behalf of young upcoming actors, I couldn't be happier to be part of this journey. We have a lot to learn, but so far so good.
"More young people ought to be given opportunities, not just actors. We also have amazing young directors and scriptwriters."
Pepeta is based on a real-life story, but even in such instances, rarely do actors get a chance to interact with the people they’re playing on set.