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Arena: African Apocalypse

British-Nigerian poet and activist Femi Nylander travels to West Africa to discover the modern-day impact on its people of atrocities that took place over a century ago.

British-Nigerian poet and activist Femi Nylander travels to West Africa to discover the modern-day impact on its people of atrocities that took place over a century ago.

Femi traces the footsteps of a French army officer, Paul Voulet, who forged a path of unspeakable barbarity across the West African state of Niger.

Voulet鈥檚 actions closely mirror the colonial horror depicted in Joseph Conrad鈥檚 celebrated novel Heart Of Darkness, which was written at the very same time that Voulet unleashed his killing spree in 1899.

In Niger, with words and images from Conrad鈥檚 time still echoing in his mind, Femi finds painful memories and communities still living with the traumatic consequences of the violence of a century ago. But amidst this terrible history, Femi also encounters beauty and a spirit of hope: young people working together and a country determined to find its way out of the horror by harnessing the power of its most precious resource - the light of the sun.

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1 hour, 28 minutes

Audio described

Last on

Sat 22 May 2021 21:30

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Femi Nylander
Director Rob Lemkin
Writer Femi Nylander
Writer Rob Lemkin
Writer Matt McConaghy
Producer Geoff Arbourne
Producer David Upshal
Producer Rob Lemkin
Executive Producer Lisa Marie Russo
Executive Producer Mark Bell
Production Company Inside Out Films
Production Company Old Street Films

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