Eye-opening documentary on brutal British torture used during Kenya’s War for Independence for Al Jazeera English

The shocking story of how Britain used torture in its war against the Kenyan anti-colonialist Mau Mau movement in the 1950s is exposed in an eye-opening documentary A Very British Way of Torture to be aired on Al Jazeera English from 8 December.

Directed by Edward McGown and produced by Rogan Films, the film is a co-production with Britain’s Channel 4 and Al Jazeera English, and premiered on Channel 4 earlier this year.

Between 1952 and 1960, Britain fought a brutal war in Kenya against the Mau Mau – a movement fighting for Kenyan independence from colonial rule. It was an exceptionally bloody conflict, with atrocities committed on both sides. 

For decades, however, many of the worst abuses carried out by British colonial forces have been kept hidden.

The filmmakers drew on a vast archival cache of thousands of files, hidden for more than 50 years by MI5 and MI6 relating to the end of the “empire” that came to light during a High Court case in 2013 brought by Mau Mau veterans, pleading compensation for torture.

Gitu Wa Kahengeri Chairman Mau Mau War Veterans Associations who is interviewed in A Very British Way of Torture

Piecing together survivor testimonies and expert analysis from a team of British and Kenyan historians, this film sheds new light on shocking new evidence. Telling a complete story of how Britain was involved in a regime of systematic torture – including accounts of murders, rapes and forced castrations.

“This may well also be the last time we hear from some of the voices of the surviving Mau Mau war veterans,” say producers at Rogan Films.  “Finally, we can show how some of their testimony about the British use of torture, for so long disputed by the authorities, is in fact true.”

“These are stories that simply have to be told,” says Fiona Lawson Baker, Executive Producer, AJE Witness. “They form part of a bigger picture of an evolving world in which the atrocities of the past, are compelled to the surface so that apologies, forgiveness and understanding can support a healing process that is so urgently needed.”

The documentary can be accessed on Al Jazeera English streaming service,Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@aljazeeraenglish/featured or online https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/documentary/

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Focus on Fans in Al Jazeera English Series to complement World Cup Football Viewing

Six short documentaries focussing on the fans behind football teams in Brazil, Morocco, Germany, Indonesia and the UK, are now streaming in a series - The Fans Who Make Football - on Al Jazeera English during the World Cup, as part of a celebration of the beautiful game, and an acknowledgment of the people who support and “live” for their teams.

 The series is produced and directed by UK-based Clover Films, with Mike Healy, Jamie Doran, Tracey Doran-Carter, Yeni Artanti and Leila Lak in various roles. Now enjoying its second airing, the series opens a window to what drives the passion of the supporters and, in many cases, the social justice and humanitarian motives that underpin the game for these fans on their home turf.

The Fans who Make Football explores how the old adage that “football is more than just a game” comes to life. The series digs into what drives the supporters. Whether it be standing up for the working class, labour rights, gender equality, or making a statement against global injustices, the films look at how the game pulls like-minded people together, creating a focus for their passion and opportunities to make a difference.

 Liverpool FC

At Liverpool FC, we learn why the anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” - Liverpool Football Club’s war cry for the underprivileged - rings loud and in unison at every Liverpool match. For fans, it is about more than football. It is a fight for equality, social justice, and a voice for the UK’s often ignored working-class. Despite the money behind the multimillion-dollar game, Liverpool has remained a team that continues to put the people before profit.

FC St Pauli 

FC St Pauli explores why the German club, established in Hamburg in 1910, has garnered so much attention across the globe. Its unwavering fandom has been cultivated over decades and gives the club a unique identity in the world of football. Proudly anti-establishment, St Pauli supporters are united in compassion always standing up for oppressed people and those least privileged. It is seen as a beacon of hope in the midst of Europe’s rising far-right movements

Glasgow’s  Celtic FC

Glasgow’s  Celtic FC looks at the social dimensions behind the team that holds British and European attendance records. While football may lead the passion for Celtic FC, its supporters are driven by much more than just the sport. Founded in 1887 to help poor Irish immigrants in Glasgow, the charitable side of Celtic continues to this day. The fans fund schools and clinics for poor people across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe as well as the Middle East. They have made their voices heard in some of history’s greatest human rights struggles. Nelson Mandela himself applauded Celtic fans for their campaign against apartheid in South Africa, and today the Palestinian cause is among the issues gripping the club’s fanbase.

 PSS Sleman 

In  PSS Sleman we meet the supporters who have redefined the profile of the football fan throughout Indonesia. Women make up the core of the club’s most passionate supporters, giving PSS Sleiman a unique voice in the world of football. The film follows the Slemani Ultras, superfans who are challenging long-held cultural norms.

Raja Casablanca AC

In Morocco, we see how Raja Casablanca AC’s home turf, The Mohammed V football stadium, holds more than just a sporting legacy. Each match has become a platform for protest against the country’s social, economic, and political injustices. The club’s huge popularity garners substantial coverage and in turn offers wide media coverage to these protests across the region. These voices of defiance would not go unpunished in any other context. The film explores the club’s history as an outlet for the city’s working-class, making it such an icon for political defiance.

Boca Junior FC

Finally in  Boca Junior FC, we meet super-fans as they reveal how and why they have become the voice of the common man and woman in Buenos Aires. In the city that is home the more football clubs than any other in the world, the film explores the special relationship between the team, its fans and the rest of Argentina.

The documentaries can be accessed on Al Jazeera English streaming service, Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@aljazeeraenglish/featured or online https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/documentary/

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Doccies on rights and wisdom of First Nations, and the inextricable link to the ever-growing climate crisis, in new documentaries on Al Jazeera English

Whether it be environmental disaster or extractive development, often it’s the indigenous First Nation peoples around the world who are on the frontlines – whose lives, communities and very existence are under threat.  In First Nations Frontline, a new series which recently started airing on Al Jazeera English, indigenous people from Australia, Sweden, Colombia and North America invite audiences into their worlds, revealing the realities and consequences of the rampant capitalism and human greed which contributes to the climate crisis.

The Starry Night Toad directed by Kata Karáth

Providing a glimmer of hope as the world navigates the climate crisis, Colombian Arhuaco leader Ruperto Chaparro Villafaña teams up with scientists to save the critically endangered Starry Night Harlequin Toad in Colombia, in The Starry Night Toad directed by Kata Karáth.  They work to unite indigenous and western scientific knowledge to understand the role of the toads in the unique ecosystem of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world's highest coastal mountain and the sacred land of the Arhuaco people.  The life cycle of the frog helps determine when to cultivate and harvest different crops – the reason this species is a flagship for their community-based project. Chaparro Villafaña must also defend their territory against illegal land grabbers, even as he’s working with scientists to find the cure for a deadly fungus that threatens all Harlequin toad species in the Neo-tropics.

The Torres Strait: Swallowed by the Sea 

The Torres Strait: Swallowed by the Sea directed by Theopi Skarlatos, looks at the Torres Strait Islanders’ class action against climate change. Climate change is causing catastrophic damage to the Torres Strait Islands. Fearful of losing their homes, the islanders sue the Australian government – but this is just the beginning. Refusing to be silenced, this is the story of how a father and son are letting the world know of their plight. 

In Black Butterflies: The Cost of Going Green

In Black Butterflies: The Cost of Going Green  directed by Saila Huusko, father and daughter Mikael and Sara Elvira fight against what they believe is Sweden’s exploitation of their land and resources, in the name of Sweden’s green agenda. Their community, the Sami, believe natural resources should only be used when necessary because, without them, humans will cease to exist. This film is their journey as they lobby climate activists and the Swedish government demanding the protection of their way nomadic way of life. 

Native Nation: Voices of Survival 

Moving to North America, the Navajo Nation offer valuable knowledge to mitigate the effects of climate change on their sacred lands in Native Nation: Voices of Survival directed by Ali Sargeant Sam Liebmann. Two Native American writers take us on a road trip to meet a community of fellow indigenous activists who are fighting to protect their land. They use traditional knowledge and ideas, and hope to influence the world’s approach to save the environment. 

“The issue of the environment and the struggles of First Nation people often go hand in hand, and certainly we have seen this in the recent COP27 deliberations in Egypt,” says Farid Barsoum, Executive Producer of the First Nations Frontlines series for AL Jazeera. “ Indigenous people  are often the first to bear the brunt of our environmental failures. We commissioned this series in the hope that several of these stories will collectively illuminate some of these issues, providing valuable insights for a global audience.”

The documentaries can be accessed on Al Jazeera English streaming service, Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@aljazeeraenglish/featured or online https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/documentary/

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Fourteen engaging short documentaries from Africa to be presented on Al Jazeera English

Fourteen engaging and insightful short documentaries from nine African countries will be presented in the second season of Africa Direct on Al Jazeera English Documentaries from 6 December 2022.

 Season Two follows the success of the first season in 2021, and presents another 14 episodes of short documentaries, made by Africans about Africans. They provide a vivid and fascinating look into the diversity of ordinary people on the continent. Whether they are unsung heroes, change champions or simply getting on with their lives, they are all agents in their own stories.

This year the countries represented include Mali, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and  Mozambique. AJE welcomes back some alumni directors as well as new ones to the fold.

First Dance Steps: Don Sen Folo by award-winning previous Africa Direct documentary filmmaker Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou (Mali)

From Mali comes two compelling short documentaries: First Dance Steps: Don Sen Folo by award-winning previous Africa Direct documentary filmmaker Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou, who takes us into the creative world of a Malian contemporary dance company as they take inspiration from ancient ancestral moves for their modern choreography.

Medine, The Heritage by Africa Direct alumni filmmaker, Andrey S. Diarra (Mali)

The second Mali film Medine, The Heritage by another Africa Direct alumni filmmaker, Andrey S. Diarra, follows Bréhima Sissoko, a heritage guide at the Fort of Medine in the Kayes region of Mali. For nearly three decades he has worked to preserve this historical site and is now training his son to take over.

A Legacy by filmmaker Mutiganda Wa Nkunda (Rwanda)

From Rwanda comes A Legacy by filmmaker Mutiganda Wa Nkunda about the revival of the Amasunzu hairstyle, an eye-catching traditional style of extraordinary shapes, crests and partings, worn as a form of identity in pre-colonial times. 

Feeling the Game by Samuel Ishimwe (Rwanda)

Feeling the Game by Samuel Ishimwe follows Leonidas Ndayisaba a sports journalist in Kigali, who is almost blind. We see him in action, from pitch-side interviews to his radio show, unfolding the story of a man who doesn’t let his disability define or stop him in his dedication to sport in his country.

The Last Speaker by Nadine Angel Cloete (South Africa)

South Africa also has two films in the mix: The Last Speaker by Nadine Angel Cloete, champions a disappearing tongue as Claudia Snyman, a language researcher, tries to save the N/UU language from extinction. She works to create a dictionary with her grandmother, Katrina Esau, who is the last living fluent speaker of this ancient San, or Bushman, language, believed to be 25,000 years old.

 Guerrilla Garden directed by Omelga Mthiyane (South Africa)

 Guerrilla Garden directed by Omelga Mthiyane shows how a guerrilla gardening collective not only provides food but also an important sense of belonging for the residents of Khayelitsha, a sprawling apartheid-era township outside Cape Town . Residents plant, harvest, sell or exchange produce. This is a community built on the spirit of agency, self-help and action in the face of huge social and environmental problems. 

Studio Of Archives by Benjamin Kent (Ghana)

From Ghana Studio Of Archives by Benjamin Kent follows Ibrahim Mahama, an internationally acclaimed artist, known for his monumental installations, as he works, collecting artefacts and textiles for his installations, which explore the significance of historical memory through everyday objects.

Giant Little Choppers a film by JJ Nota (Mozambique)

A young bright 12 year old Mozambican Luciano Armindo features in Giant Little Choppers, a delightful film by JJ Nota, that looks at this boy’s fascination for engineering and his remarkable hobby - he collects cardboard and wire scraps and meticulously designs and builds life size models of helicopters and cars outside his home. 

Kenya Ice Lions by Moses Obuye  (Kenya)

Kenya Ice Lions by Moses Obuye follows the action of Benjamin Mburu, captain and assistant coach of the Ice Lions, the only ice hockey team in east and central Africa, which had competed internationally until the pandemic hit. He rallies the skaters and finds innovative ways to keep their skills, and the team’s finance, alive.

Conservation From Above by Rahab Wambui (Kenya)

Also from Kenya, Conservation From Above by Rahab Wambui witnesses Daniel Zuma, a surveillance pilot in Kasigau Corridor conservation area. He also does on-the ground work in conservation, including with local communities in which he grew up, conveying an important conservation message and leaving a legacy to pass on.

Dorcas Sheffy Bello’s A Stone Crusher’s Song (Nigeria)

Nigerian filmmaker, Dorcas Sheffy Bello’s A Stone Crusher’s Song observes grandmother, Mama Hamsatu Izang, as she navigates her two very different realities, that of a life-long stone crusher and now a social media star, in the hope that her new success might bring lasting change.  Traffic director Joy Onoja has found a way to keep cars moving and drivers cool-headed – she dances. 

Joy In The Traffic directed by Achor Yusuf (Nigeria)

Joy In The Traffic directed by Achor Yusuf gets behind the moves, motivation and mindset of this energetic traffic policewoman, to reveal a delightful side of urban life in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, Nigeria.

Modern Peanuts of Cameroon by filmmaker Christelle Otse (Cameroon)

Cameroonian peanut salesman, Hassan Mounpé stands out from the crowd in the markets of Yaoundé in Modern Peanuts of Cameroon by filmmaker Christelle Otse. In this delightful film, she explores Hassan’s work, ambition, imagination and style, a man on a mission who sees the humble peanut as the source of a great potential enterprise.  

Making Her Future by Amedee Pacome (Gabon)

From Gabon comes Making Her Future by Amedee Pacome who explores the prolific career of Diouck Saï who is at once a shop owner, restaurateur, DJ and is also setting up a new philanthropic foundation. The film reveals her motivation, drive and compassion as well as her determination to bring light into the world. 

“All these films focus on individual characters who stand out within their communities, each doing something compelling and in some way shaping the world around them,” says Ingrid Falck, head of documentaries at AJE. “They provide a window into everyday lives across the continent, a diversity which is too often overlooked from the outside. These films are engaging, insightful, unusual, extraordinary and sometimes utterly breath-taking. They draw us in and make us think, feel and even connect with people, reaching across the rich textures of the world and its people.”

Al Jazeera English partnered with South African production house  Big World Cinema for the Africa Direct project.

Dates of Episodes 

Episode 1: 6 Dec - First Dance Steps (Mali)  and A  Legacy (Rwanda) 

Episode 2: 13  Dec - The Last Speaker (South Africa) and Studio of Archives (Ghana)

Episode 3: 20 Dec - Giant Little Choppers (Mozambique) and Kenya Ice Lions (Kenya)

Episode 4: 27 Dec - A Stone Crusher’s Song (Nigeria) and Guerrilla Garden (South Africa) and Modern Peanuts of Cameroon (Cameroon)

Episode 5: 3 Jan -  Medine, The Heritage (Mali) and Making Her Future  (Gabon)

Episode 6: 10 Jan – Conservation From Above (Kenya)  and Joy in Traffic (Nigeria)  and Feeling the Games (Rwanda)

TV REPEAT PATTERN

A new episode starts each Tuesday and repeats at these times (GMT):

Tues 2230 GMT

Wed 0930 GMT

Thu 0330 GMT

Fri 1630 GMT

Sat 0530 GMT

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Africa Direct on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with our handle AJAfricaDirect

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AJafricadirect

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ajafricadirect/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AJafricadirect

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