Let Disney’s Queen of Katwe Inspire You #QueenOfKatwe

Let Disney’s Queen of Katwe Inspire You #QueenOfKatwe

Let Disney’s Queen of Katwe Inspire You!  Have you ever watched a movie that spoke to your soul?  A movie that you could feel in your heart?  I’ve been moved by movies before and I’ve gotten emotional and felt empowered, angry, sad, even scared.  Movies are created to speak to our emotions.  They are written to elicit an emotional connection and reaction from the audience.  Queen of Katwe wasn’t just written though; Queen of Katwe was lived. Phiona Mutesi walked the streets of her village and worked along side her mother and siblings.  She struggled and she won!  Queen of Katwe tells the story of a young woman and her mother.  There were so many layers to this beautiful story, but the one relationship that really spoke to me was the relationship between Phiona and her mother.  Her mother…….the love of her mother and the sacrifices she made for her young daughter.

I try to put myself in her place and make the decision to give my daughter what is best for her by letting her go.  How do you, as a mother, let your young child go?  In an area that is so harsh to young women?  How do you trust that every piece of goodness that you have instilled in your daughter will grow and bloom into a beautiful flower?  You just do and Phiona’s mother shows us that!  She also shows us the heartache that comes with it and the joy that comes once you see the beautiful young woman your daughter has become.

One of my favorite scenes from Queen of Katwe is when her mother sees her again after she left home to travel and play chess.  That moment of loving her daughter and just staring at her.  Her mother knew, at that moment, that she made the right decision; that Phiona was carrying out her life’s purpose and she was doing it with great poise and conviction.  This is such an amazing story of girl power, mom-power, and just the power of love and believing in something bigger than yourself.  I wish I could make this a required movie for all young women to see <3  Queen of Katwe is open in select theaters Now!  Get your tickets.

About Queen of Katwe:

For 10-year-old Phiona Mutesi (Nalwanga) and her family, life in the impoverished slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, is a constant struggle. Her mother, Harriet (Nyong’o), is fiercely determined to take care of her family and works tirelessly selling vegetables in the market to make sure her children are fed and have a roof over their heads. When Phiona meets Robert Katende (Oyelowo), a soccer player turned missionary who teaches local children chess, she is captivated. Chess requires a good deal of concentration, strategic thinking and risk taking, all skills which are applicable in everyday life, and Katende hopes to empower youth with the game. Phiona is impressed by the intelligence and wit the game requires and immediately shows potential. Recognizing Phiona’s natural aptitude for chess and the fighting spirit she’s inherited from her mother, Katende begins to mentor her, but Harriet is reluctant to provide any encouragement, not wanting to see her daughter disappointed. As Phiona begins to succeed in local chess competitions, Katende teaches her to read and write in order to pursue schooling. She quickly advances through the ranks in tournaments, but breaks away from her family to focus on her own life. Her mother eventually realizes that Phiona has a chance to excel and teams up with Katende to help her fulfill her extraordinary potential, escape a life of poverty and save her family. Disney’s “Queen of Katwe” is open in select U.S. theaters now.

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Queen of Katwe is open in select theaters Now!  Get your tickets.