One Woman, One Bra

One Woman, One Bra is Victor Nchogu’s debut feature, following Star, a woman in the Maasai community who is on the precipice of losing her home and the land it sits on because she lacks kinship ties. She fights for her right to belong by searching for her parentage, beginning with an attempt to trace a photographer who took her picture as a child. She also tries to gain favour in the community by collaborating with a ludicrously exploitative NGO in exchange for funding, going as far as seeking her friend’s hand in marriage.

The film explores community, identity, culture, and tradition. It poses the question of what it means to belong to a collective while lacking the ties that directly connect an individual to the rest of the clan. Nchogu highlights the predicament of a woman who has no seat at the table, always forced to establish some sort of attachment to a man, whether as a daughter or a wife. We see this play out through what appear to be the character’s two major choices: finding her roots or marrying her friend.

One Woman, One Bra is a beautifully shot debut, peppered with stunning landscape shots and a vibrant colour palette. It is filled with nods to both Maasai and Kenyan culture, from salon posters and traditional markings to Maasai folk songs, mabati cups, metal kettles, and cloth draped over furniture.

While making room for comedy, the film is ultimately a stern commentary on patriarchy, the white saviour complex, our connection to the land, identity, and community.