Kassim the Dream

I was able to watch Kassim the Dream tonight at Silverdocs. The documentary is about Kassim is a World Champion Boxer, Kassim "The Dream" Ouma - born in Uganda, kidnapped by the rebel army and trained to be a child soldier at the age of 6. When the rebels took over the government, Kassim became an army soldier who was forced to commit many horrific atrocities, making him both a victim and perpetrator. He soon discovered the army’s boxing team and realized the sport was his ticket to freedom. After 12 years of warfare, Kassim defected from Africa and arrived in the United States. Homeless and culture shocked, he quickly rose through the boxing ranks and became Junior Middleweight Champion of the World.



I was hesitant about seeing Kassim the Dream as I feared that it was going to portray Kassim and child soldiers in general as 'ticking time bombs.' Instead, I felt it let Kassim's personality shine, showed his complexities and his resilience. The Washington Post's article on Kassim delves further into Kassim's life.