Grades 9-12, College, Adult
Directed by Emily Marlow
Produced by Jenny Richards, Television Trust for Environment
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 1999
Copyright Date: 1999
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-746-9
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-803-0
Subjects
African Studies
Child Labor
Developing World
Human Rights
Humanities
International Studies
Migration and Refugees
Refugees
Social Justice
United Nations
Awards and Festivals
Second Place, One World Broadcasting Trust Awards
Vermont International Film Festival
Going Home
Guinea
10-year old soldier escapes rebel forces in Sierra Leone.
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"Vividly shows the suffering today being faced by many black Africans." Ceferina G. Hess, Political Science, Lander University |
Mohammed is just 10 years old. For most of 1997 he was forced to act as a young fighter with rebel forces in the jungles of Sierra Leone. His duties included carrying heavy equipment, acting as a personal servant to other soldiers, and torturing and disciplining any of the other child soldiers who stepped out of line.
Eventually he escaped to Guinea, where he is one of thousands lining up to register at the Gueckedou refugee camp. In 1997 Guinea was host to an estimated 430,000 refugees: 190,000 Sierra Leoneans, and 240,000 Liberians who'd escaped the 8-year civil war there. This film evaluates the success of the Guinean government and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in protecting the rights pledged this huge African refugee population under the OAU Convention.
Other titles in the series are:
Where Truth Lies - A dramatic case before the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Till Death Do Us Part - Widows are denied inheritance and property rights in Nigeria.
In the Name of Safety - False imprisonment violates due process in Bangladesh.
Smiles: The Hypocrisy of Thai Politics - The struggle for greater democracy and free speech in Thailand.
Discipline with Dignity - The attempt to end corporal punishment in Nepalese schools.
Reviews
"Interviews with a 10-year-old boy who served in the army, girls who were conscripted to be slaves, and people maimed during the fighting provide insight into the plight of refugees across Africa."
"Vividly shows the suf