MAHARU - Kasano Mwanza

Deep in the copper-rich heart of Solwezi, Zambia, on the edge of a forest filled with purple Jacaranda trees, sits a house filled with ancient secrets and protection. For centuries, the family that lived in this house stood as the only line of defense between humanity and any evil. Their weapon? A sacred ritual passed down through song and movement, a ritual that must be performed before the sun goes down - before the Curupira come out. The Curupira, the backward-footed guardian of the wild, live in the Jacaranda forest.

For the first time in history, the sacred ritual doesn’t work. An evil spirit has been lurking in the background, waiting for her turn to strike. She finally strikes by making a calculated pact with a male member of the family. To seal the pact, she fastens a necklace around his neck - making him the first to corrupt the lineage, the leader of the Curupira, and twisting these backward-footed guardians into evil. This vengeful and cloaked entity, Abonsam, also seizes this moment to weave a devastating curse into the family tree: for every daughter born, a father must fall.

Nineteen years later, as the first daughter born under Abonsam’s curse, Maharu’s very existence is a reminder of the death of her father Lusongo - who’s love is signified by the orange Calibra rose. Guided by the family matriarchs, and watched over by a trio of ancient Orishas, she must fight to become a part of two worlds: Human & Curupira. Maharu must fight this destined battle to restore the sacred ritual, and purge Abonsam and her curse.