Pushing the Elephant

When ethnic violence in Rwanda spread into the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rose Mapendo’s husband was murdered anad she was separated from her daughter, Nangabire. Over a decade later, mother and daughter are reunited in the United States where they must face past and build a new future.

We follow Rose and Nangabire over the course of a year as they make up for lost time. While Rose struggles to find balance in her life as a mother of nine and a full-time advocate for refugees, Nangabire must adapt to America and discover how she fits into the sprawling Mapendo family. As mother and daughter become closer, they must also come to terms with the past, and define for themselves what it means to be a survivor, a refugee and an American.