Accession Number

B88

Series Title

LONG LIVE OUR ENGLAND

Programme Title

MOTHER COUNTRY

Producer

Su Dalgleish

Other Credits

Editor: Michael Stoffer; Songs: David Campbell; Graphics: Alan Barlow; Camera: Steve Stephens; Sound: Philip Stephens

Transmission Date

15/02/72

colour , sound (sep), 29 mins 30 secs

Synopsis

Programme featuring interviews with people who moved to England in search of the 'Mother Country' and instead found hostility, rejection and racial discrimination and on the history of the slave trade in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Focuses on Lloyd Blair, who moved from the West Indies in the early 1960s, to live in Moss Side. Includes discussions on the issues surrounding immigration and unemployment. Opens with brief shots of a steel band and street parade (Moss Side Carnival?). Lloyd Blair recounts his experiences of his arrival in Manchester in 1960. African tribesmen are shown dancing and there are shots of African sculptures. 'African Historian' Basil Davidson speaks about the Portuguese discovering African communities in the fifteenth century. There are various stills shown: of Christopher Columbus, who discovered the West Indies in the 1490s; British Captain John Hawkins, a prominent figure in the slave trade; African Chiefs; imprisoned slaves; Africans being shipped to the West Indies; slave auction advertisements; William Wilberforce, who led the fight against slavery; Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies; and Liverpool and Bristol, cities which were reliant on the slave trade. Jamaican Mavis Griffiths talks about the discrimination she has faced in England. Richardson Andrews, 'Economist', speaks about how the British Government and industries attracted immigrants from the West Indies in the 1960s. There are shots of West Indian shanty towns, streetscenes and countryside. The programme features many songs including "Long Live Our England", "Hot Sun Come Beating Down", "He Looked for Work" and "Wasted Years of a Restless Life". Includes opening and closing title sequences.