THE FIRST GRADER
Justin Chadwick, Ireland 2010 [12], 103 mins
This drama brings the case of the Mau Mau freedom fighters
against the British to life with the story of Maruge, a villager motivated to
read by the offer of free primary education. The 84-year-old pupil and his
young teacher defy the underlying tensions within the local community but not
before he gently educated the students about Kenya’s fight for independence. Based
on the true story of Kimani Maruge and his fight for the education he could
never afford.
SHAKER AAMER: A DECADE OF INJUSTICE
Mark Saunders, UK 2010 [E], 22 mins
Shaker Aamer is still held at Guantanamo bay without charges
or a trial. This film documents the on-going struggle of his family with legal,
political and human rights activists campaigning for his release. Although two
US presidents have ‘cleared’ his release due to lack of evidence, he remains
detained. What is the fear of the authorities denying his release – his
knowledge of the UK government’s complicity in torture, his witnessing of the
multiple Guantanamo suicides or the wider political implications of his
incarceration?
Discussion led by Dan Thea, Mau Mau Justice Network, Mark
Saunders and Joy Hurcombe, Chair, Save Shaker Aamer Campaign
