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A Time There Was: Stories from the Last Days of Kenya Colony

2009 1 h 27 min
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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.

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A Time There Was: Stories from the Last Days of Kenya Colony

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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.

Developing Countries Politics and Government History All subjects
  • direction
    Donald McWilliams
  • editing
    Donald McWilliams
  • collaboration
    Karen Feiertag
  • narration writer
    Donald McWilliams
  • narration
    Donald McWilliams
  • camera
    James Aquila
    John Walker
  • production manager
    Karen Feiertag
  • still photography
    Karen Feiertag
  • sound recordist
    Karen Feiertag
  • participation
    Mwaria Njuma
    John Nottingham
    Achrroo Kapila
  • translator
    Terry Wairimu
  • transportation
    John Bisley
    Arthur Taylor
  • animation
    Marcy Page
    Randall Finnerty
  • drawing
    Gail Lamarche
  • animation camera
    Pierre Landry
    Thea Pratt
  • photographic scans
    Pierre Landry
    Thea Pratt
  • infography
    Suzie Synnott
    Sarah Marchand
    Karen Feiertag
  • digital imaging specialist
    Susan Gourley
  • technical path
    Susan Gourley
  • sound editing
    Oana Suteu
  • dialogue editing
    Claude Chevalier
  • translation
    Jane Nyoike
  • original music
    Kevin Dean
  • musician
    Kevin Dean
    Michel Lambert
    Jean-Gabriel Lambert
  • improvisation
    Pierre Béluse
    Jean-Guy Plante
    Luigi Allemano
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • studio recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
    Luc Léger
    Matthew Thomson
    Sylvain Cajelais
  • music pre-mix
    Geoffrey Mitchell
    Luc Léger
    Matthew Thomson
    Sylvain Cajelais
  • re-recording
    Jean Paul Vialard
  • titles
    Gaspard Gaudreau
  • online editing
    Yannick Carrier
  • technical co-ordination
    Julie Laperrière
    Sylvain Desbiens
    Louis Dupuis
    Steve Hallé
  • digital editing services
    Danielle Raymond
    Martine Forget
    Isabelle Painchaud
    Pierre Dupont
    Amélie Bolduc
  • French sub-titles
    Robert Paquin
  • picture research
    Elizabeth Klinck
    Karen Feiertag
    Donald McWilliams
  • music research
    Elizabeth Klinck
    Karen Feiertag
    Donald McWilliams
  • rights
    Elizabeth Klinck
    Karen Feiertag
    Donald McWilliams
  • marketing
    Moira Keigher
    Annmarie Martin
    Philip Lewis
  • administration
    Gisèle Guilbault
    Marie-Christine Nadon
    Rosalina Di Sario
    Lysanne Fortier
  • executive producer
    Ravida Din
    David Verrall
  • producer
    Marcy Page
    Adam Symansky

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Education

Ages 17 to 17
School subjects
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?
A Time There Was: Stories from the Last Days of Kenya Colony
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