Is the Devil Really a Child?

Children of Mozambique who have become the victims of the MNR, the guerilla movement backed by South Africa, are forced to kill their own people. Cruel methods are applied to force the boys to kill. Girls are raped if not differently sexually abused; their story is also told in this film. Is the devil really a child? examines their traumatic experiences and the efforts of the Mozambican authorities to reintegrate them into society. Specialists developed new integration concepts to help the children and the film goes deeper into the achievements and problems connected to the application of these new concepts.
The framework of this political and poetical documentary is the short story 'Is the devil really a child?' by the Mozambican author Calane da Silva. The nightmarish atmosphere of the story is portrayed in corresponding images from reality. The powerful stories, songs, dances, paintings, and sculptures of the people of Mozambique, which express their sorrow and struggle, give additional information and enrich the other elements of this film. The Mozambicans tell us their story.