Since the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed in 2020, Black History Month (BHM) has slowly become an annual event that corporations and people alike have stopped fully engaging with. When discourse demanded it, money and attention were put into BHM. Now, if we’re lucky, libraries will have tiny BHM displays with books about the protests of 2020 or on how to be an anti-racist ally. When BHM was first brought to the UK by Ghanaian analyst, journalist and pan-African activist Akyaaba Addai Sebo in 1987, he wanted Black people to reconnect with their African roots and give Black students a sense of pride and identity at the start of the new academic year.

While Black history should be taught all year round, it’s not. During the BLM protest, the Tories rejected petitions to alter our historical curriculum. If the government won’t enforce the teaching of Black history, we owe it to ourselves and the younger generations to fill each October with Black pride and education.

Knowledge is power, as the late and definitely racist Francis Bacon once said. So here is our list of documentaries to watch this BHM that will fill you with pride, sadness and enlightenment.

THE STUART HALL PROJECT (dir. John Akomfrah)

Soundtracked by the music of Miles Davis, The Stuart Hall Project is a documentary exploring the life and career of cultural theorist Stuart Hall, one of the founding fathers of the new left and a key architect of cultural studies. Narrated by Hall using archived audio interviews and television recordings, the documentary highlights the various ways that Hall influenced Black-British constructions of identity in the second half of the 20th century.

You can find this documentary on Mubi, along with a collection of Black-British cinema, here.

HAITI: THE WAY TO FREEDOM / AYITI MEN CHIMIN LIBETE, 1973 (dir. Arnold Antonin)

Considered to be the first Haitian feature-length film, Arnold Antonin’s Haiti: The Way to Freedom is a documentary that delves into Haiti’s rich and tumultuous political history. The film weaves together a tapestry of historical chapters, starting with colonisation, slavery, and rebellion. Antonin takes viewers on a mesmerising journey through the struggles and victories of the first independent Black republic. This is an important one to watch in light of recent events and discussions around decolonisation.

You can watch this film at the Barbican this week (Friday 20) at 6.20pm.

FELA KUTI: THE LEGACY, 2023 (dir. Kayode Thomas)

Fela Kuti: The Legacy is Kayode Thomas’ directorial debut. It examines the life and work of Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì. Regarded as the King of Afrobeat, Fela’s impact on music can not be overstated. The son of feminist and labour activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Kuti’s work and life were charged and influenced by his political background, which made him a hero to the poor and underprivileged in Nigeria. The documentary sheds light on Fela’s influence on fashion, style, culture and activism.

You can watch the short documentary on YouTube here.

THE COLONY, 1964 (dir. Philip Donnellan)

“Sometimes we think we shouldn’t blame the people because we came to their country and troubled them, but on the other hand, if they in the first place had not come to our country and spread their false propaganda, we would have never come to theirs.”

Broadcast on 16 June 1964, The Colony was filmed in various locations in Birmingham and follows working-class Caribbean families and individuals who have just moved to England. It’s a difficult but essential watch, with the participants movingly describing their experiences of trying to integrate into the unwelcoming ‘mother country’. It is one of those documentaries that show how much has changed in England, while also highlighting how things haven’t really changed at all.

You can watch this documentary on BBC iPlayer here.

BABYMOTHER, 1998 (dir. Julian Henriques)

While Babymother is not a documentary, it is an important time capsule depicting 90s British Caribbean dancehall culture. Anjela Lauren Smith plays Anita, a young single mother who dreams of becoming a dancehall star with her two best friends while raising two children in Harlesden, London. Featuring music by Beres Hammond and Carroll Thompson, Babymother is regarded as a Black feminist triumph and the first truly Black-British musical.

You can watch Babymother on Channel 4 here.

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