Sunday 13th Ocotber; 10.20 for 11am


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.

Palm Beach international Award 2011; Emden Film Award 2011













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