It’s A Story That Needs To Be Told & Re-Told. Again! And Again! And Again!
Lest Our Stories Are Erased By Others Instead of Narrated Authentically.
@NaomiHarris As Stushy (Stuck Up) Hortense Is Immense With Acting Talent. Many Jamaicans Soon Found Out That The So Called Motherland Had Lied To Them. Harris Would Later Become The One of The Most British Characters Ever Written ‘Moneypenny’ In Ian Flemming’s James Bond. Ironically Flemming (A Former Secret Service Agent) Famously Loved Living In Jamaica
Both @NaomiHarris As Stushy (Stuck Up) Hortense And @RuthWilsonUk As Queenie Blyth In Small Island Are Outstanding. What A Telling Account Queenie Gives To Michael (Walters) of The First Time She Ever Saw A Black Man. In This Film She Kept Bringing To Mind Lily James of Downton Abbey. See What You Think @LilyJamesOfficial. Harris’ Posh Patois Dialect Is Brilliant. As Is Her Reaction To First Seeing The Body of The Naked Husband, Gilbert (Oyelowo) On Their First Night Together.
@David Oyelowo As Gilbert Joseph Along With His Fellow Airforce Friend Helps To Make His Wife’s Dreams Come True. Eventually! There Was Alot of Racism To Overcome Along The Way. The Windrush Generation Had Resilience, Perseverance And Dedication!
@RuthWilsonUK With @Ashley Walters. Both Give A Captivating Performance In Small Island Which Sees Worldclass Casting
There A Times In Life When A Moment Can Missed And An Opportunity Forever Lost.
Such A Moment Can Be Fleeting But Its Legacy Can Last A Lifetime.
Narration By Hugh Quereshi In Small Island
This Story Has A Twist Which We Simply Don’t See Coming. We Wish We Did See It. More of It. And That It Was More Explored When It Arrived. That We Didn’t Is Our Only Disappointment. But Considering Its Nature, It A Pretty Huge One.
Small Island By Andrea Levy
@Naomi Harris & @David Oyelowo Are Part of An All Star Cast In ‘Small Island’
BBC 4 10pm – 11.25 pm & 11.25pm-12.55pm Wednesday February 21st 2024.
Originally Aired 2009. Now Available On BBC Iplayer
In 2022 ‘The Other Arts Show’ (Sky Arts) Presenter @DemiWalker (White T-Shirt) Interviewed Three Fabulous Female Afro-Caribbean Writers Yvonne Bailey Smith (Black Shirt), Bernadine Everisto (Yellow Shirt) @bernardineevaristo, And Jendella Benson (Denim Shirt) @jendella. Everisto Became The First Black Female Winner of The Booker Prize In 2019. This Is The Same Year Andrea Levy Passed Away.
Levy’s Book Was Selected As A Winner For The 2022 70th Jubilee Commonwealth Writers Reading List. There Were 10 Winners For Each Decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 Year Reign Which Began In January 1952 Upon The Death of Her Father. In 2005 It Won The Commonwealth Writer’s prize, And The £50,000 Whitbread Book of The Year Award.
The Show Highlighted The Fact That There Are Now So Many More Black Women Writers And Storytellers Telling Black British Caribbean Stories In Their Own Words And On Their Own Terms Since Andrea Levy’s Small Island, Published In 2004. This Is Very Important When It Comes To Authenticity, Relatability, Identity And Independence.
Everisto Has Recalled That She Never Identified As Black Growing Up In Woolwich And Only Became Aware of Her Black History And Identity When She Went To University. Bailey-Smith Only Experienced Other People Repeatedly Commenting On The Fact That She Is Black When She Came To This Country, Because As She Puts It ‘In Jamaica’ She And Her Friends And Family Were ‘All Just Jamaicans’. And Benson Says It Was Writers Like Zaide Smith (Daughter of Bailey-Smith) Who Inspired Her As A British-Nigerian Writer (Author of Debut Novel ‘Hope And Glory Hope’ About British-Nigerian Girl ‘Glory’ Akindele).
At The End of This Show Featuring Black British Female Writers ‘The Other Arts Show’ Co. Presenter Arron Roach Bridgeman @aaronroachbridgeman (Sky Arts) Issued A Tribute To His Friend The Late Jamal Edwards @jamaledwards Who Had Recently Returned Home To Heaven Time of The Broadcast (February 20th 2022). The Show Aired Again Last Night (In The Early Hours of Friday February 23rd 2023). This Was Just Two Nights After TheOrator.Press (TO.P) Watched The Film ‘Small Island’ For The First Time (It Documents The Contribution of Caribbeans To The British Military And Their Experiences of Living In Post War Britain).
Jamal Was Very Proud of His “Aunty Pam” Who Was Awarded An MBE For Her Service To The British Airforce. So It Seemed Fitting To Acknowledge Her Here Under The Circumstances Out of Respect To Her, Jamal And His Family. And His Loyal Friend Mr Aaron Roach Bridgeman. We Salute All Who Served, Including “Aunty Pam.” She Was Clearly A Very Special Woman.
Our Stories, In Our Own Words Matter. Representation Is Important. It’s Why We’re Here!
The Male Protagonists
Two Jamaican Men, For Completely Different Reasons Sign Up For The British Airforce In 1948, After The British Military Set Up A Recruitment Drive In The Colonies, Seeking Labour To Help Rebuild Post War Britain. One Walks Away From His Married Lover And Their (Unborn) Child (of Which He Is Unaware). One Goes To The Ends of The Earth For His Stushy (Stuck Up) & Painfully Niave Wife. These Roles Are Played By @Ashley Walters And @David Oyelowo Respectively. Both Are Excellent And Their Stories Captivating.
These Two Acting A-Listers As Main Characters Are Joined By Another One In The Form of #Benedict Cumberbatch Who Plays Queenie’s Dedicated But Dull Husband. He Too of Course Is Excellent And In This Film Has A Special Gift For Communicating Heartfelt Emotion Through Visceral Facial Expressions. And He Is Capable of Going From Love To Indifference To Hate With Equal Ability. His Facial Expressions On One Hand, Lack Thereof And On Another, And Body Language Generally Tell Much of His Story.
First We Like Him. Then Not So Much. Then Definitely Not. Especially When He Reveals What Happened To His C^^K In India And The Depth of His Racism Comes Out Against Black People Back Home In Britain. That’s An Acting Arch Which Very Impressive. Previously The Iconic Dr.Who He Would Later Become The Iconic Dectective Sherlock Holmes.
What We Love Most About The Two Main Protagonists From Jamaica Is That The Prove That Black People Are Not A Monolith. Gilbert Jospeh (Oyelowo) Is Learned, Patient And Measured And Has Dreams of Becoming A Lawyer. Dreams Crushed Only By Poverty. Nonetheless He Still Likes To Go To The Library, Take A Lady For Picinic And Act Like A Perfect Gentleman And Citizen. Michael On The Other Hand (Walters) Has An Affair With A Married Caucasion Women In Jamaica And Comes To England And Does The Same Thing Again. He Leaves The First One To Come To England And The Second One To Go To Cananda. And He Breaks Hearts Along The Way.
The Female Protagonists
@ruthwilsonuk Previous Played Jane Eyre (2006) In Charlotte Bronte’s Classic Novel And Would Later Appear Alongside Idris Elba In The Iconic Crime Thriller Series Luther (2010-2019). In This 2009 BBC TV Movie Adaptation of Small Island She Portrays An Ambitious Woman From Yorkshire Who Wants To See The World And Live A Little (Well, Alot Actually). She Takes Deportment Lessons And Elocution Lessons To Improve Her Chances. But Alas She Marries (Cumberbatch) In Order To Avoid Returning Home To Her Parents House When Her Worldy Aunt And Guardian Passes Away Unexpectedly. There Ends Those Hopes And Dreams. But Not Her Fiesty Adventurous Spirit.
Also Dreaming Is Stuck Up (Stushy) Hortense From Jamaica Who Dreams Coming To England, The So-Called “Motherland” To Work As A Teacher And Live A Middle-Class Lifestyle, Central To Which Is A House, A Garden And A Doorbell. Problem Is When They British Government Appealed To People In Colonies To Come And Help Rebuild Britain Post WW II They Neglected To Mention The Racism. Hearts Are Broken. And Yet Strong Friendships Are Still Made. As Always. Sadly It’s Often The Minority Bad Guys Who Spoil Things For Everyone Else. But As We Know, Love Is Ultimately Stronger Than Hate.
The Lives of These Two Ladies Intertwine In The Most Cosmic of Ways To Give Them A Special Bond For Life. The Twist Is Phenomenal. However The Big Reveal Is Not Fully Shown Which Is Something A Shame. Levy Leaves It To Our Imagination Instead. On This Occassion We Would Have Loved To Have Seen Actual Enactment of The Drama Between The Celluloid Characters. One Feels A Little Cheated. But It Remains Great Nonetheless.
In 2019 (Before TheOrator.Press (TO.P) Was Established) A Stage Version Sold Out At The National Theatre.
Comment: What’s Very Interesting Watching This Film Now For The First Time This Week (Having Been Established The Magazine During Lockdown In 2020) Is That We Can Clearly See That The British Government Misled The Colonial People When They Wanted Them To Come To England To Help Rebuild The Country. And Also Generations Later We See Them Lie, Connive And Manipulate Again When They Want To Expel That Very Same Generation And Their Descendants. Again, Each Time The Afro-Caribbean Community Are Subject To Racism Centred Around Unwanted Immigration From Some Quarters. Both Government And Certains Citizens. This Bureaucratic Deceit And Ingratitude Is At The Heart of The Windrush Scandal
The Writer
Writer Andrea Levy Left This World Returned Home To Heaven In 2019.
At The Time @Ashley Walters Posted:
“RIP ANDREA LEVY. Beautiful Person & Amazing Writer. Immortalised Through Her Great Work.”
“If You Haven’t Already, Please Watch SMALL ISLAND, A Brilliant Adaptation of Her Best Selling Book, I Was Happy And Grateful To Be Part of. My First Period Drama.”
“Love And Respect To Her Family”
He Is Right. She Is Immortalised Through Her Work Which Can Be Found At The Website –https://andrealevy.co.uk/books/small-island. And We Too Recommend This Fantastic Historical Film Which Documents Important Black British History Through Authentic, Critical And Comedic Storytelling. Originally Aired 2009. Available On BBC Iplayer
‘The Other Art Show.’ Sky Arts. Friday February 23rd 2023, 3.30 am
Whilst ‘Small Island’ Was Broadcast This Month On Wednesday February 21st 2023 On BBC 4, Just Two Days Later, On Friday February 23rd 2023, ‘The Other Art Show’ On Sky TV Featured Presenter Demii Lee Walker @DemiWalker Talking To Three Fabulous Female Afro-Caribbean Writers Bernadine Everisto @bernardineevaristo, Yvonne Bailey Smith, And Jendella Benson @jendella.
They Discussed How Originally There Were No Black British Female Writers For Them To Look Up To When They First Came To Britain, How That Affected Their Sense of Identity And How Things Eventually Changed.
This Particular Show Was Part of A Double Back To Back Broadcast of Episodes 3 And 4. At The End of Episode 4 (Friday February 23rd 2023 4.00 am – 4.30 am) Co. Presenter Arron Bridgeman @aaronroachbridgeman Dedicated The Show To His Late Friend @jamaledwards The Young Groundbreaking Music Executive And Founder of SBTV (Self-Believe Television) Who Passed February 20th 2022 (Two Years Ago This Month).
Jamal’s “Aunty Pam” Was In The British Airforce. She Was Awarded An MBE For Her Thirty Years of Exceptional Service. The Late Jamal Proudly Posted About This On His Instagram Page. He Himself Received An OBE For Services To The Music Industry www.youtube.com/@sbtv. They Were Clearly Both Very Special.
(You Can See Our Special Feature Dedicated To Jamal At The Time of His Passing In TheOrator.Press (TO.P) February Issue 2022 On Our Business Page ).
You Can Also See The Seperate Early Windrush Story of Navy Serviceman Codrington Alban Walcott In Our Special Fathers Feature In TheOrator.Press (TO.P) June 2022 On Our Education Page.
After Serving In The Navy Following A Recruitment Drive In Barbados, Then Coming To Britain In The 50s, He Ultimately Raised His 5 Children (Four Sons One Daughter) Alone By Working On The London Buses Following His Wife’s Tragic Premature Death From Cancer. We Were Very Privileged To Have His Only Daughter Share His Story With Us. We Salute Her, Her Family And Her Father. He Was Clearly A Very Special Man.
TheOrator.Press ~ A New, Monthly, Online, Independent Magazine 