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Realizing a longtime dream, an African American doctor, ASIRA (BarbaraO/Daughters of the Dust) journeys to Africa after securing an appointment with the National Institute of Psychiatric Medicine in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.  What awaits Asira is beyond anything she had imagined, for her professional expertise has not prepared her for the mysteries and self-doubt that confront her. Against a backdrop of ancestral spirits, Asira must battle sexism, intolerance, and jealousy from staff members at all levels. ODHIAMBO, (Waigwa Wachira, Gorillas in the Mist), the 'country doctor' whose practices are viewed skeptically among his own staff, is a former colleague of Asira. It is the ready communication in their relationship that breeds contempt and suspicion of Asira's every move.
In the midst of the whirlwind are the patients, some maniacally insane, frightened and disturbed, but it is a very special patient, SAMEHE (Amandina Lihamba, The Marriage of Mariamu) who terrifies them all. Samehe has not spoken a word during her 20 years at the institution. Samehe and Asira begin a curious relationship confronting intangible elements both benevolent and malevolent. With Odhiambo's encouragement, Asira increasingly becomes deeply involved in Samehe's case.
As Asira delves into Samehe's past, frightening images from her own dormant memory surface. In a dramatic reversal, Samehe then initiates Asira into a strange world of spirits where she finally meets MAANGAMIZI (Mwanajuma Ali Hassan), the Grandmother of all grandmothers. In an arduous journey, from the dark and spirit-steeped forests lining the banks of the Mississippi to the plains and summits of Tanzania, Samehe and Asira discover a surprising, common bond which offers the hope of deliverance.
MAANGAMIZI - THE ANCIENT ONE is a unique story that steps out to reclaim the spiritual connection that threads us together as a global community. The fated union of these two women from two different backgrounds and cultures --and yet united by terrifying memories --and the re-emergence of their independent and collective selves through the intervention of the ancestor -- is a powerful meditation on the human psyche in its confrontation with a hostile world.
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