On remote Saint Helena, Annina Van Neel discovers a mass grave of 9,000 enslaved Africans and joins the fight for preservation and justice.
As part of the British Science Festival, The New Black Film Collective presents a screening of -
A STORY OF BONES (2022)
On remote Saint Helena, accessible only by a six-day Royal Mail Ship journey, Annina Van Neel uncovers a mass grave of 9,000 enslaved Africans while working on the island’s airport project. Teaming up with activist Peggy King Jorde and local descendants, they fight to memorialise the victims, confronting colonial injustices.
The following panel discussion will focus on forensic pathology, genealogy, ancestry DNA and the wider role that science plays in detecting and testing our lineage — some of which may controversially trace back to eugenics but ultimately revealing the 'silent witness' from the horrors of our past.
Director: Joseph Curran, Dominic Aubrey de Vere
Cast: Peggy King Jorde, Annina Van Neel
Certification: 12A
Duration: 1h 35 mins
Panel: Paul Crooks
Paul Crooks is a pioneer in African Caribbean genealogy research, having traced his family history from London to ancestors captured on the West African coast and enslaved on a Jamaican sugar plantation six generations ago.
His work has gained national recognition, particularly through his acclaimed historical novel Ancestors based on the true story of his African ancestors, and his appearance as an expert in African Caribbean genealogy on Who Do You Think You Are? (Moira Stuart).
Paul's second book, A Tree Without Roots a seminal guide to tracing African, British, and Asian Caribbean ancestry, and he is widely credited with inspiring an upsurge in interest in Black and British ancestry.
Schedule:
7.00pm: Doors open + Intro
7:10pm: Feature film starts promptly
8:45pm: Panel starts
10:00pm: Q&A finishes and exit venue
Refreshments available at the bar. No outside food is permited in the venue.
Admission is on a first come, first served basis.
This film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
Facilities throughout the hotel are wheelchair accessible.
This film programme is supported by Newham Council, Welcome Newham, Film London and the Good Hotel.