Maine to Dadaab

Maine to Dadaab is a virtual reality documentary by Shuab Ahmed Mahat and Daniel Quintanilla which tells the story of Shuab’s return to Dadaab, Kenya, the world’s largest refugee camp, 15 years after his resettlement to the United States. Dadaab is home to an estimated half million refugees who live in makeshift homes, including Shuab’s mother and siblings. Unable to return to their home country because of security issues, yet unable to gain Kenyan citizenship, these refugees are stuck with no clear path forward. The film will explore Maine’s relationship to global human migration, asking audiences to consider a more nuanced narrative, one where home and family stretch across continents and movement between them is neither simple nor linear.