Movie Review
Set in the small Alabaman community of an African town, this documentary follows the sons and daughters of the surviving members of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to smuggle people from Africa to the United States.
The ship is an open secret for centuries, with the community doubling as activists to reclaim a piece of its history. All in all a very important documentary and a great example of why the persistence of history is so integral.
For those who don't know, the voyage in question took place in 1860, after the importation of human cargo was outlawed. Slave owner Timothy Meaher ordered the Clotilda's captain, William Foster, to burn and sink the ship in the Mobile River, getting rid of the evidence after smuggling more than 110 poor souls into US soil.
Since then, the story has been hidden from the public, changed, and pushed to be taught in schools (which should tell you all you need to know).
Netflix
Netflix's Descendant works to bring attention to the real events that took place, as well as to the lives and people who have built for themselves in Africatown and are fighting to preserve it today.
No other scene sums up the changing fortunes of class and race, except perhaps one scene featuring the people of Africatown gathered in a meeting after Clotilde is found, featuring multiple interviews with residents and their reflections.
The illustrations show men and women huddled together in a boat, with Dr Hiebert - a white man I might add - describing the images as "beautiful". As the camera pans to reveal grave faces in the audience, it concludes the contrasting fates for these two different walks of life.
Generation is worth watching and in many ways brings up the importance of history and how important it is to make sure the right voices and the right stories are told. It's a film that explores the idea of history being denied, and hopefully with a platform like Netflix, more people can become aware of this amazing and fascinating story.