Our Daily Bread is the debut interactive short film by Mike Khakame, Tracy N.Mwaura, Naserian Koikai, James Grubb, Lanaire Aderemi, Demy Jozeph & Michael Mihoc as part of Youthful Cities: Digital Storytelling Lab, a British Council Project in partnership with the Coventry City of Culture and The Space.

Co-created by teams in Nairobi & Coventry, Our Daily Bread documents the trials of Njeri and Luke as they battle self-doubt and anxiety while trying to get a foothold in the world of work. In this experience, the audience is invited to choose to visit Nairobi or Coventry and to make choices that influence how Luke and Njeri's stories unfold.

For the best experience please view using Chrome, Edge or Firefox.

Challenged with producing a project that addressed issues affecting young people globally, the selected artists sought to examine the lives and experiences of young people to find themes and subjects that would be accessible to all, irrespective of where they were. Youth unemployment is a longstanding and prevalent issue and the inability for many young people to gain a foothold in the world of work can have a dramatic impact on their health, wealth and the trajectory that their lives take. The artists decided to explore this and how youth unemployment shapes the existence of young people.

The pilot explores the notion that numerous young people exist under the assumption that academic success and performance will correlate with success in later life, but this is not the case for many. They enter the professional world with the confidence instilled in them by educational systems only to see their careers fail to launch and or match up to reality. They struggle in a society that has become much more complex, are demonised through the media and the messages that are spread, and above all, are judged by thier inner critics for failing to live up to the beliefs they have internalised.

Writing & directing for Our Daily Bread, Tracy said

“We are often told that your early 20’s are the years you should take advantage of to build a solid foundation for the rest of your life. Similarly, the choices you make in this interactive film will determine whether Luke & Njeri overcome what life throws at them or if they end up as another “unemployed youth statistic.

We made Our daily bread to highlight the universal experiences that resonate with youth in both countries. How are they perceived by the media? What experiences do they share? How do they navigate their friendships & relationships. Is their mental health in check?"

By sharing Luke & Njeri's story with the world our goal is to inspire policymakers, activists and governments to be intentional and deliberate in overcoming the pandemic that is Youth unemployment.

Our Daily Bread is for young people like us, across the globe from Coventry to Nairobi to know that their experiences and feelings aren't isolated but universal. We wish you the best of luck on the search for your daily bread.”

Our Daily Bread was commissioned as part of the Youthful Cities Programme and is part of the 2021 Coventry UK City of Culture 2021-22 celebrations. The British Council and Youthful Cities facilitated a cultural and creative skills exchange between young artists (age 18-25) in Coventry and Nairobi to develop projects that creatively respond to important, urgent and youth-focused issues in their cities, encouraging more active civic participation. The Digital Storytelling Lab was supported by the Coventry City of Culture Trust, British Council, The Space and BBC R&D.