Heart of Fire

In a land fighting for independence, a young girl soldier refuses to kill...

The ten-year-old Awet has spent her entire life in an orphanage, where her naturally fiery temperament readily absorbed the lessons on the sins of oppression and the value of self-worth. Her hopes for a normal and happy family life are swiftly shattered when after a short and unpleasant stay with her father, a fanatical supporter of the freedom fighters, both she and her older sister Freweyni are unceremoniously delivered into the hands of the Jehba - the Eritrean Liberation Front.Having been taught to fight oppression at all costs, Awet at first willingly chants songs of liberation along with the guerilla group and, too young to bear arms, joins the other children in various support functions around the secret camp. Still, her courageous sense of self-worth quickly puts her at odds with the group's militant commander, Ma'aza.It's not long before increasingly grave attacks mounted by their sworn enemies, the Shabia, create the necessity of arming even the youngest children with rifles. Although barely able to shoulder the powerful weapon, Awet dutifully learns to load and fire it.But when the young soldier first sees the enemy dead and realizes that they are just as human as she, Awet makes a solemn oath never to kill. Labeled a traitor by Ma'aza, Awet nevertheless stands her ground and fights the violence in the disarming way that only a child could.