Big Zuu Goes to Mecca
Duration: 1 x 60'
Play Trailer Play Screener Contact Sales Collection: Faith & ReligionIn this entertaining film, Double BAFTA-winning Chef and rapper Big Zuu makes a pilgrimage to Mecca on a personal and spiritual journey to try and understand more about his faith.
Big Zuu is best known for his skills in the kitchen and on the mic. Less well known is the fact that Zuu is a Muslim. But as a young man born and raised in London, sticking to strict interpretations of the rules hasn’t always been easy. Zuu grew up blending the traditions of multiple cultures and while he may not have been raised praying five times a day, devotion to his faith has always been a huge part of Zuu’s identity. Like many young Muslims raised in the West, Zuu is no stranger to forbidden (‘Haram’) practices such as smoking and drinking; but fasting during Ramadan is a time when Zuu and his friends try that much harder to be ‘good Muslims’.
Zuu has thought long and hard about making this pilgrimage. At the heart of his mission is a desire to connect more deeply with his faith. But there’s a lot for Zuu to learn before he leaves. Like finding out what Umrah actually entails. Zuu meets Dr. Sohail Hanif, an Islamic Scholar who prepares him for the journey ahead. Islam means surrender in Arabic, and Dr. Hanif explains the importance of letting go of his worldly concerns. Specifically, Zuu will need to abandon the luxury brands and designer clothing he is used to – and hunt down the humble Ihram clothing required for his pilgrimage - two pieces of unstitched, unsewn plain white cloth that represents how we will all one day be buried.
Arriving in Saudi, Zuu’s first stop is Jeddah where he visits the Red Sea port and gateway to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina where worshippers from overseas have traditionally arrived for their pilgrimages. Here he gets to grips with the culture, and experiences traditional Arab hospitality before making the hour long journey to Mecca, the site of the Ka’ba. Known since the 7th Century as the House of God, the Ka’ba is what Muslims are praying towards when they pray in the direction of Mecca.
Finally doing their Umrah at the Great Mosque at Mecca, Zuu and his friends find themselves part of a vast sea of thousands of other Muslim worshippers from every corner of the globe. First they must symbolically enter the holy state of Ihram, before circling the Ka’ba seven times in an anti-clockwise direction and finally running between the sites of the hills of Safa and Marwa. It’s a sight Zuu has never seen, and the experience proves to be profound and moving for him.
Ending his pilgrimage Zuu makes a final trip to the city of Medina, known as the cradle of Islam. It’s a chance to reflect on how his journey has affected him, and what it will mean for him when he returns home to London and his normal life.
“They say go you should only go to Mecca when you’re ready… I believe I’m ready…”
What the Press Say:
The Guardian - ***** "a quietly revolutionary portrait of Islam"
For BBC2
