Descendants

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Descendants: James Cleverly MP and Deadria Farmer-Paellmann

James Cleverly MP and Deadria Farmer-Paellmann

BBC Radio 4 - Descendants, James Cleverly MP and Deadria Farmer-Paellmann

A British MP and an American activist are connected through the same tribe in Sierra Leone

James Cleverly, a British government minister, and Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, an American activist and lawyer, are connected through the same tribe in Sierra Leone.

One year on from the toppling of the Colston Statue in Bristol, Descendants asks... how close is each of us to the legacy of Britain's role in slavery? And who does that mean our lives are connected to?

Yrsa Daley-Ward narrates seven episodes telling the stories of people whose lives today are all connected through this history and its legacy.

Government Minister, James Cleverly, the first British MP of Sierra Leone descent, takes us back through his family history and the way his experiences of Sierra Leone helped shape his perspective on Britain and colonialism. It's a history which is directly linked to Britain's role in slavery, and its aftermath. He understands he is descended from the Mende tribe. A few thousand miles away, Deadria Farmer-Paellmann has also discovered she is descended from the Mende tribe - but her ancestors were enslaved and trafficked to South Carolina. The discovery becomes part of her life's mission to try to get reparations for the descendants of the enslaved. 

Producers: Polly Weston, Candace Wilson, Rema Mukena
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Academic consultants: Matthew Smith and Rachel Lang of the UCL Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery
Additional genealogical research is by Laura Berry

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Descendants looks into our lives and our pasts and asks how we are connected to slavery.

Descendants looks into our lives and our pasts and asks how we are connected to slavery. And, in turn, who does that mean our lives are connected to?

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Descendants

James Cleverly MP and Deadria Farmer-Paellmann

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