This autobiographical documentary revisits the Mau Mau Rebellion of the 1950s. More than 50 years after the conflict, in which the director participated as a young British soldier stationed in Kenya for his national service, he confronts his past with audacity and unflinching self-inquiry.
Combining McWilliams' own photographic record of the times with original animation and archival imagery, A Time There Was crafts a thoughtful account of the Mau Mau Rebellion – one of the most contentious episodes in Britain’s imperial endgame.
Ages 17 to 17
History - World History
Indigenous Studies - History/Politics
Indigenous Studies - Identity/Society
Preteach the following: locations of Kenya and Nairobi, British colonial rule, Kikuyu. Discuss the treatment of the African Kikuyu under British rule. Why did Britain find it necessary to treat the Africans in this manner? Who were the Mau Mau and what was their mandate? As with other similar battles in history, independence came with a high price. Explore and discuss this statement. Were the Mau Mau terrorists?