Kenya native's documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of Cairo

Cairo, Ill., has plenty of woes today -- from high poverty to a slow business climate to a government in a state of disarray. But the town between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers wasn't always that way.

A 30-minute documentary that will air on WSIU-TV at 9:30 p.m. Monday seeks to tell the story of how Cairo started and the journey that brought the city to its present state.

Kenya native John Njagi made "Cairo, Illinois: A City Caught Between the Tides" as a graduate student at Southern Illinois University in 2004 and early 2005.

Njagi was inspired to create the documentary as his graduate project after attending a lecture on Cairo history by Preston Ewing. Ewing is a historian in Cairo who authored a book called "Let My People Go," which chronicled the history of Cairo's civil rights movement through photographs.

The filmmaker talked to Ewing following the lecture and used him as a reference point to embed himself in Cairo. Locals weren't quick to open up at first, Njagi said.

"I'm from Kenya, and walking into town, I didn't know anyone except Preston Ewing," said Njagi. "Being an outsider, the town is still really close-knit, and it's really hard to get people to talk to you and trust you."

Njagi's first reaction was shock when he arrived. He had seen pictures of the old, thriving Cairo of the early 1900s -- a much different atmosphere than the ghostlike modern downtown.

"Some people even told me 'Don't go down there, it's dangerous,'" recalls Njagi. "But I had to go down there and see for myself. I was shocked that there was all this history down there, and now downtown is in shambles."

Njagi worked for months researching the past and talking to local historians and current citizens. He even caught one moment first hand that powerfully illustrates Cairo's current plight.

Njagi actually witnessed a man in the process of closing a store that had been in the family for generations. Business had simply slowed too much, the man explained.

"He said his dad was quite devastated," said Njagi.

"Cairo, Illinois" uses first-hand accounts of city residents to tell its story. But relying so heavily on oral history can create problems.

Jay Manus, local amateur historian and president of the First National Bank, said some of the statements in the documentary are a bit inaccurate.

"There are some inaccuracies in it, but the documentary was very well-made and well-produced," said Manus. "That's to be expected when you talk to a diverse group of people -- some of their memories might be different than reality. A lot of it is really hearsay."

The historical facts before the 1960s are right on though, Manus said, and overall the documentary paints an accurate picture of Cairo, from its heyday to the battle over race.

Njagi documented the town's decline, but he doesn't dislike Cairo. He said the residents who are still in Cairo are the heart of the city. They have hope for the future, no matter what the current state of affairs.

"Everyone I talked to said Cairo will come back, and everyone had a suggestion on how that should be done," Njagi said.

msanders@semissourian.com

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