Starting in 1955, more than 70,000 West African children were fostered by British citizens in the UK. Over 40 years, the practice (often referred to as ‘farming’) left many of the children traumatized and disconnected from their race and heritage by the culture of England.
9 of these children, now all adults from their 40s to 60s, come together in White Nanny, Black Child to share their unique experiences with one of the lasting impacts of British colonialism. Each person is given center stage during this creative therapy retreat, and they use the space to tell their stories and process the grief, pain, and anger the ‘farming’ system left them unable to address until now.
White Nanny, Black Child is an incredibly well-woven examination of the individual impacts of colonialism in the UK and abroad. This under-told story explores the subtle nature of racism, both past and present, and shows its lasting effects upon individuals. Some subjects are happy with their lives as British subjects, but even they feel an uncomfortable disconnection from their heritage, a feeling almost anyone descended from immigrants can relate to.
There are some very small problems with White Nanny, Black Child, all of which revolve around its stylistic choices. There is an element of reality TV programming that always shook me out of focus. We’d go from these intense and heartfelt moments to drone shots of a manor house that made me think I’d accidentally turned on The Great British Bake-Off. These moments were meant to be a breath of fresh air in between tough moments, but as a fan of documentary filmmaking, I found them very distracting from the film’s main message.
That aside, public or academic librarians looking for educational and intriguing documentaries about race, colonialism, or British culture should look no further than White Nanny, Black Child. This BAFTA Award-winning documentary will fly off the shelves of most public libraries. Highly Recommended.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
White Nanny, Black Child will do well in collections about therapy, race, and culture.
What kind of college instructor could use this title?
Students studying recent British history or colonialism in Africa would benefit from watching White Nanny, Black Child in the classroom.