BBC Information, Kampala
Robert KatendeA well-known chess membership in a slum of Uganda’s capital that grew to become the main focus of the Hollywood film Queen of Katwe remains to be producing champions – however faces a every day wrestle to outlive.
Run by chess coach Robert Katende, performed by actor David Oyelowo within the Disney movie launched in 2016, he nonetheless believes that regardless of monetary struggles he’s managing to vary kids’s lives for the higher via chess.
“We use chess as a educating instrument. To determine the potential of the learners and information them to their future,” Mr Katende advised the BBC on a go to to his SomChess Academy in Katwe, a poor neighbourhood of Kampala.
Shortly after graduating as a civil engineer, he first started volunteering in Katwe as a soccer coach earlier than deciding on chess – beginning up with a single chessboard in 2004 and a willpower to assist.
Inside a yr nine-year-old Phiona Mutesi, who had dropped out of faculty, joined up – and went on to turn into a chess prodigy.
She took the title of nationwide girls’s junior champion thrice, competed in a number of prestigious worldwide chess Olympiads and by the age of 16 was given the title Lady Candidate Grasp by the World Chess Federation.
It was her exceptional story that was advised within the movie, with Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o enjoying her mom.
Mr Katende says her success got here from resilience and willpower – and reveals the actually transformative energy of chess.
She additionally continues to be an inspiration for a lot of of Mr Katende’s gamers, together with 18-year-old Patricia Kawuma.
“Other than successful college scholarships, this sport has taught me find out how to strategise and plan forward, and it instils self-discipline and persistence,” the two-time nationwide junior chess champion advised the BBC.
She has additionally represented Uganda in two worldwide tournaments and has earned cash by successful chess competitions.
Prize cash and sponsorships have enabled her to pay for her personal college charges in addition to these of her siblings.
Mr Katende says greater than 4,000 kids have gone via his programmes over the past twenty years, with a few of them ending up changing into docs, engineers and attorneys.
His huge increase got here after a e-book printed in 2012 by journalist Tim Crothers about Ms Mutesi caught the attention of Disney.
When the movie firm determined to go forward and make the e-book right into a film, it gave him a one-time grant of $50,000 (£36,000).
This allowed him purchase a property in Katwe to headquarter his academy and from the place he additionally runs the Robert Katende Initiative.
He was in a position to prolong his chess membership from Katwe to periods inside Ugandan prisons – and to slums in neighbouring Kenya and Rwanda, and people in nations so far as Angola, Botswana, Cameroon and Malawi.
AFP/Getty PhotographsAt present, greater than 2,500 kids and about 800 inmates are in his programmes, which assist them to develop and make important choices, he says.
“Chess is a metaphor for all times. There are challenges and surprises all over the place however in case you look carefully you could find alternatives, you could find your approach via,” the 43-year-old advised me.
“A foul transfer in chess means you’ll lose, simply the identical with life.”
There may be one transfer the coach, who labored on the Queen of Katwe movie as a senior story guide and who educated the actors of their chess scenes, didn’t predict.
The Walt Disney Firm made a loss on the movie – and this has had repercussions for his burgeoning chess initiatives.
He, Ms Mutesi and the chess champion’s mom had been promised a large share of any Disney income – 67%, he says.
However he was advised by the company that after investing about $15m (£11m) into the drama, directed by Mira Nair, it had solely made again $10m.
“The loss put me in a nasty spot as a result of folks suppose that I’ve hidden some cash,” Mr Katende mentioned.
“Many individuals suppose I am a rich Hollywood chess coach after the movie however the laborious reality is that we’re but to profit from its income.”
Nevertheless, he says he isn’t bitter because the movie publicised his chess programmes, attracting each native and worldwide companions.
“If Disney had not finished the movie, we would not be the place we’re; I do not suppose we might be recognized – and lots of different folks have come on board to assist our philosophy,” he mentioned.
Ms Mutesi’s fame helped her win a scholarship to Northwest College within the US in 2017 and she or he now works in Canada as a enterprise analyst and is ready to assist her mom, who has moved again to their dwelling village outdoors Kampala.
However Mr Katende’s mission faces large monetary challenges as most of his companions have fallen off for the reason that coronavirus pandemic.
“We needed to scale down operations and shut down some coaching centres. Earlier than Covid I had 14 workers, however now we have now eight. I worry we would let go of extra workers resulting from monetary constraints,” he mentioned.
Wycliffe Muia / BBC
Robert KatendeHundreds of his gamers in Uganda should scramble for under 120 chess boards resulting from an absence of funds.
Uganda’s present junior chess champion, 19-year-old Jovan Kasozi – considered one of Mr Katende’s protégés – has additionally been hit.
The Katende chess initiative pays in the direction of his education and {the teenager} has been in a position to often crowdfund from some properly wishers for further chess coaching periods – however final yr he missed out a global match as a result of he couldn’t increase $400 for his air ticket.
“However I am not giving up on chess, the sport stimulates my thoughts and it has made me to be superb at arithmetic. It makes me suppose like a pc,” the younger man advised the BBC.
Mr Katunde is equally upbeat, saying that it might be an extended sport in terms of Disney.
“Hopefully they are going to attain out to me in the event that they break even,” he mentioned, including that then the income may begin coming in.
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Getty Photographs/BBC
