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The Flame of the Soul

1 Jan 1990
26m

The realities of sickle cell are outlined by young people affected by the disease.

This documentary from the Ceddo film and video collective was made as part of their winter filmmaking school in 1990. The video interviews young black men and women living with sickle- cell anaemia. Topics cover the health difficulties experienced by sickle cell patients and how sickle cell crises affect their careers, relationships, and mental health.

The extensive interviews include artist Donald Rodney, who discusses his relationship to making art and how illness functions as metaphor within a society; and a young model, Rhoda Lagunju, who talks about how she navigates dating and the challenges of balancing her career as a model. The two less- featured interviewees are George Obeng, a young man aspiring to be a solicitor, and David Saffer.

The video informs the viewer of the shifting medical climate, and presents vital information about the sickle cell condition and the experiences and manifestation of medical racism towards those who have it.

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From the collection

Black & S. Asian Arts Filmmaking

Exploring the rich and extensive shared history of Black and South Asian filmmaking.

Collaboration has been at the heart of the work of Black and South Asian artists, from the Black theatre movement of the 60s and 70s to the film and video workshops of the 80s and 90s. This reflects an emphasis on collectivism as a way of sharing resources, as well as a political expression. Britain's Black and South Asian communities have long shared similar themes and dealt with shared experiences in the present, while often making potent creative connections with artistic traditions in Africa, South Asia and Caribbean. This selection of videos, mostly drawn from the 1980s and 90s, encompasses a rich variety of genres and forms.