When I was a kid growing up with a fascination for the storytelling and magic of the Cinema and also in particular television, I remember the impact, the entertainment and education some TV programmes had on me.
Sesame Street, Star Trek, The Waltons, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, Top of the Popsand many more.
Then one night our family sat down as we had many times before and watched a programme called ‘Roots’.
Our whole family sat in silence, shock and sometimes tears as we watched man’s inhumanity to man unfold on the tiny screen in the corner of the front room.
We had never seen anything as powerful, disturbing or life affirming.
It stayed with me for a long time.
Recently the new TV adaption has begun.
Again I am as emotionally charged as I was as a boy.
The current adaptation of Alex Haley’s historic telling of his family history is as powerful, dramatic, evocative and emotive as the first version I grew up watching.
It tells the strangely poignant and almost modern story of slavery and abuse that created the supposed great American Dream.
A dream built on murder, abuse, rape, exploitation and genocide.
Yet still an incredible dream of an incredible Nation.
We should all wash the blood from our collective hands because of the slavery of Africans, which created the industry and success our British Nation, European neighbours and the USA.
We are and always will be the creation of the sweat of slaves stolen from their homes in chains.
The new retelling of the descendants of Mandinka warrior Kunta Kinte is beautifully told on the screen, adheres to Haley’s original novel and resonates in this almost segregated and frightened world we live through today.
Please watch this important and extremely emotionally charged piece of all our collective, shameful history.
It needs to be seen by all of us – Because slavery and racism still exists in our society, just hidden under other guises and manifestations.
It must never be allowed to win x