The Road to Montclair: How Mamogaswa Made Its Way to New Jersey

For filmmaker and beer brewer Obakeng Malope, her first time in New York was both exhilarating and overwhelming—but she adjusted quickly, especially to the famous subway trains. On the day she was to travel to New Jersey for the screening of her documentary film Mamogaswa, she made her way to Penn Station in Manhattan. She purchased two train tickets at $8 each and began her journey with excitement and nerves intertwined.

Although she wasn’t afraid of the train ride, she remained alert. She regularly checked the overhead monitors to confirm her train’s schedule, occasionally asking security officers and staff at the information desk for updates. She had promised Denise Ford Sawadogo, the founder of Montclair Brewery, that she would be on the 3:00 PM train—only to find out it was actually scheduled for 3:45 PM, which added to her stress.

Eventually, the announcement came: her train was boarding. She headed to Track 2 and found her seat. Luckily, she was handed a route map, which became her lifeline for the journey. Unlike the subways she had become used to, this train had no digital displays listing upcoming stops. She had to rely on the conductor’s announcements—many of which were hard to understand due to the accent, especially stations like Secaucus Junction and Watsessing.

Her goal was to get off at Walnut Street, but confusion struck. At one point, the train stopped in what looked like an ordinary street—no clear signs of a station. Passengers got off, and Obakeng asked the woman sitting next to her if they had reached Walnut Street. To her dismay, she was told they had just passed it. That unmarked street stop was Walnut Street.

Now off at Watchung Avenue, Obakeng’s phone rang. It was Denise, checking in. Obakeng explained she had missed her stop and would now have to walk. Thankfully, Denise sent her husband, Leo, to pick her up.

When she finally arrived at Montclair Brewery, she was blown away. “It’s amazing,” she said. Normally, she avoids drinking alcohol when discussing business—but there was no way to say no this time. They offered her a cherry beer that was both fruity and refreshing. Later, she was given a beer brewed with baobab fruit, which she found excellent.

Inside, Kevin, a brewery staff member, set up the monitor to screen her film Mamogaswa. They all watched it together and were deeply moved by it. Afterwards, Leo shared a documentary he had filmed in Jamaica, sparking an exchange of stories, culture, and passion for filmmaking.

The evening continued with a curated menu of Caribbean-soul fusion food: cornbread (which reminded Obakeng of sponge cake), caramelized pumpkin, fried catfish, fried chicken, rice with gravy, peach and apple cobbler, cabbage, and creamy macaroni and cheese. The meal paired beautifully with their craft beers.

After the film, Obakeng stood up to explain her work:

"Mamogaswa tells the story of women in Jericho Village, South Africa—women who brew traditional Setswana beer from sorghum. The film features six grandmothers aged between 76 and 93, who not only show how the beer is made but also share folktales they’ve passed down for generations. Most importantly, they tell the story of Mamogaswa a powerful mystical creature

She continued, diving into the science of brewing:

“The malting process—something my grandmother taught me—starts by soaking grains in water for 2–3 days. When rootlets appear, they dry it under the sun. This is identical to the scientific malting process used for barley: soak, sprout, and then kilning to stop germination. I often wonder—how did our grandmothers know this science? Why are South Africans not acknowledged in academic brewing texts?”

She explained how traditional beer brewers would mill the dried grain using stone tools, while in craft brewing, machines are used. Obakeng also drew parallels between traditional fermentation techniques and the krausening method used in beer brewing—where fresh fermenting wort is added to an already fermented batch to jump-start natural carbonation.

“My grandmother did something similar. After cooling the fermented sorghum porridge, she would add freshly milled sorghum to ‘give it a boost’—those raw enzymes hadn’t been cooked or fermented yet. That’s krausening, in its own way.”

By the end of the day, both Denise and Leo were convinced. They agreed to screen Mamogaswa at Montclair Brewery on June 27, 2025, at 5:30 PM.