A UNITED KINGDOM
Director Amma Asante
Cert 12A 111 Minutes
‘No man is free unless he is master of himself.’ That is the strapline for this excellent film.
It tells a story of a fight for equality, dignity and freedom in the face of racism and colonialism. Based on true events beginning in the London of 1947, Seretse Khama is a young student from the royal family of Bechuanaland (today’s Botswana) sent to England to be educated in preparation for kingship. We first meet him in the boxing ring, where he fights hard against a white opponent but is floored by foul play. This opening vignette alerts us to the coming plot.