Song of Freedom - Topic Development

Topic Development

The movie implies several serious topics. The first one would be the new life slave is longing to. Slave trade was abolished in England in 1807 and USA in 1808. However, “when the overseas slave trade was finally abolished, they (slaves) were confused. Not only did slavery remains, it grew from around 700,000 in 1790 to over 3.5 million in 1860. The number of slaves increased through natural birth and the continued illegal slave trade.” Those who get rid of their ‘Slave identity’ are not leading a good life either. Like the film Song of Freedom, where John was barely a dockworker before he was eventually discovered as a great singer. Blacks are not given chances and treated unequally in the white dominated world. Still the brand of ‘Slave’ is craved on them as well as their dark skin and other feathers, and that’s why, thought he can make his living in London, John keep stating that he is ‘out of place’ in England, and leads him finally back to his homeland Africa. That happens to the entire dark skin race around the world, especially on those who descendents directly from the slaves.

This has well lead to the racial discrimination category. “Because of racial discrimination, blacks were unable to enter the housing market on the same terms as other groups before them. Thus, the most striking feather of blacks’ life was not slum conditions, but the barriers that middle-class blacks encountered trying to escape the ghetto.” As we can see normal blacks are having difficulties in ‘trying to escape the ghetto’ due to the ‘racial discrimination’. The movie reflects that only in some of the racial free areas, such as music or arts, can a black earn his or her status and real value. Still the plot is thought to be a little unrealistic for blacks to make such a big success in the year 1836, it can be told that how tough the barrier was lies in front of the blacks.

Still the film called for many documentary scenes of West African traditional dances and ceremonies, as well as its special culture feathers. One of them is the superstitions in drugs. Scholar has already found out that ’In Africa the Witch Doctor holds sways. He drives a lucrative business. Armed with his staff of office, consisting of gaudy paint and a magic rattle, he impresses his people as the savior and benefactor of the afflicted.’ ‘The staff and the rattle are used to detect the evil spirit, the supposed cause of the malady.’ ‘His dress is adorned with charms, such as bits of wood, bones, shells, bird and animal claws.’ These details are vividly presented in the film, showing the director and his staff deep understands of African culture and the effort they did to restore the original feather of this mysterious civilization.

Surely, the movie that talks about the struggles of Africans is related to those that depict struggles of African Americans, yet it is also important to note that there are lots of different. In this British film the ‘Song of Freedom’, John the main character always longs for going back to his homeland, Africa. But for most of the African Americans, they considered themselves already an American, who differs from his or her old ancestor from Africa. Their major concerns were on how to fight for their place and gain the usual right as the whites, or join the big American society without being rejected, rather than thinking of going back to their home land to help the people there and improve the native Africans’ lives.

However, we cannot neglect an important topic contain in this film----the women’s right and status. In the movie, women’s are not encouraged to work as the men do in industrial, modern city such as London. We can see John’s wife mainly concentrates on housework and supporting her husband in different aspects----she herself does not have a job. Even in the primitive society like the natives in island of Casanga, women are not allow to join the rituals and have little rights. Women’s status is staying in a minority situation until the 1970s when women actively joining the labor force. That’s approximately 40 years after the film was produced. Before that ‘They (black women) suffered not only from racial discrimination in housing and employment but also from sex discrimination. They were susceptible to domestic violence, vulnerable to health problems at young age, and usually the primary caregivers for children.’ From the film, thought not mainly emphasized, we can clearly see how pathetic lives were the women, especially African American Women. Then we shouldn’t be surprised at how fiercely African American women fight for their rights and the frequently the movements for women rights are held afterward.