After being shown round the world since its premiere in New York City in 2022, the documentary ‘A Story of Bones’ will now be screened in the hometown of the lead protagonist, Namibian-born Annina van Neel.
The screening of the full-feature-length film will take place at 18h00 tomorrow at the Goethe-Institut Namibia, followed by a panel discussion.
The film sheds light on the ongoing struggle for the proper memorialisation of the remains of thousands of formerly enslaved Africans on the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena. Through poignant storytelling, it challenges whether current public discussions and actions adequately address this memorialisation.
Following the screening, a discussion with Van Neel will take place. Van Neel, who was born in Windhoek, is “super excited to be bringing the film home”— and continues her work in remembering and honouring African heritage, including in Namibia.
Saint Helena, almost 2 500 kilometres from Windhoek and located in the South Atlantic Ocean, stands as one of the most remote major islands in the world. For centuries, access to the island was restricted to lengthy ship voyages from Cape Town. To enhance tourism and make the island more accessible, the UK government decided to build an airport there. When Van Neel, an environmental officer of the airport project, first set foot on the island, she was taken aback.
“We were all incredibly excited about being on this paradise island,” she said. After six days of seeing nothing but water, she couldn’t believe she had come across this fascinating piece of land.
It was Van Neel’s responsibility as an environmental officer to mitigate the impact of the airport project on species, flora and fauna, as well as to preserve the built and cultural heritage of the island.
Before work began on the project, 325 remains of formerly enslaved Africans were archaeologically excavated in 2008 to make way for the airport access road. While the possibility of encountering other human remains was discussed, Van Neel believed “the probability would be very low”. Eight months later, Van Neel and her team stumbled on the burial grounds for approximately 9 000 formerly enslaved Africans. The team meticulously documented their findings, taking photographs and carefully placing the remains in boxes. The findings are part of the most significant remaining physical trace of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. However, creating a memorial presented its challenges. Initially, the possessions of the 325 people whose remains were excavated in 2008 were displayed in a museum in Liverpool. Yet, to date, no memorial marks the site where these individuals were reburied.
“This is not an isolated case; it is happening everywhere. We have been talking about the restitution of African heritage for decades, and no one is close to figuring that out. But we’re not having the conversation about it either,” said Van Neel. ‘A Story of Bones’ also features Noah van Neel-Heyes and Peggy King Jorde. The film is directed by Joseph Curran and Dominic Aubrey de Vere.
The screening of ‘A Story of Bones’ is part of film programme Cinemaverse by the Goethe-Institut that aims to support and endorse this important discussion.
Entrance to the screening is free with complimentary popcorn.