The Burning Man - Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamuave

Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamuave

Photos courtesy of Shayne Robinson


Running Time: 24 min
Director: Adze Ugah,
Producer: Desiree Markgraaff;
Mozambican Associate Producer: Joao Ribero
Production Company: Bomb

Nigerian filmmaker Adze Ugah shares his journey to reclaim the identity of the man the world has come to know as “the Burning Man” - Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamuave.

This is not a hard hitting expose of the horrific burning of a man, but a gentle exploration by Adze as he tries to understand who Ernesto was, what the events were that led to him being set alight and burnt to death and how this tragedy could have happened in South Africa 2008.

Adze journeys to Ernesto’s village in Mozambique to meet his family and the people whom he loved. He explores the underlying curse of poverty and the fragile chords of humanity and dignity.

This film seeks to make the ‘burning man’ a real person to the audience, a man who represents the pain and suffering of millions of real people living in poverty - people who are both victims and perpetrators of this crime.

This is a poignant thought provoking film.


Adze Ugah is a Nigerian Filmmaker living in South Africa. He works as a director and assistant producer for BOMB.