Sing, Freetown

Clive Patterson – Director’s Statement

As a person of mixed heritage, I understand what it means to exist between two cultures. When I first started working with Sorious Samura 12 years ago, I recognised that he was very much of two cultures too. He was a renowned British reporter of African affairs and he was also a Sierra Leonean expat in a foreign land. What I hadn’t anticipated when setting out to make this film was how much that cultural tension would become a key feature of the unfolding narrative.

Sorious’ journey is ultimately one about reconciling the divisions in his identity. It’s a process which finds reflection in the tensions that arise between himself and his great friend and mentor, Charlie Haffner. It is also reflected in Sorious and Charlie’s own description of the predicament facing Sierra Leone, and much of Sub-Saharan Africa – a fractured identity due to the damaging legacy of colonial rule. This multi-layered grappling with notions of identity, at both the personal and national level, is what I believe this film is about. As the world becomes increasingly mobile and migratory, I feel these themes can only become more relevant. When I look at my children – one quarter Japanese, one quarter British, one half Ugandan – it becomes even more important to foster discussion around these issues.

For Sorious, this journey was also about re- establishing his identity as a storyteller. I have spent over a decade making films with him, almost exclusively in Africa. He has become a close friend and colleague. But during this time, I noticed a growing frustration in him at the type of stories we would be commissioned to tell – often about war, corruption, disease, or other problems afflicting the continent. These were the type of negative depictions that angered him as a child growing up in Sierra Leone, to the extent that he would throw stones at international journalists. So when Sorious told me about his intention to return to Sierra Leone and work with Charlie on an inspiring new play to help his nation, I knew there was a rich and deeply personal story to be told – a story that would not only show Sorious in a fresh light, but also his deeply fascinating country.

For me personally, this film represents the culmination of 12 years working in Africa alongside Sorious. I have been privileged to discover the continent in his company and to learn from his insights and perspective. With this film, our aim was to offer international audiences a fresh view of his country. As an outsider, I have a connection to our intended audience and some of the perceptions that prevail. I hope this film will challenge those perceptions. I wanted to create a visual and narrative experience that allowed audiences to discover the richness of Sierra Leone in much the same way I had, in the company of two incredible companions who could illuminate both the nation’s culture and beauty, and inherent tensions and difficulties, with passion and eloquence.