Sankofa: Learning About Slavery Through Personal..

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Sankofa: Learning about Slavery through Personal Experience The film Sankofa presented a very intriguing and different point of view towards slavery that brings many of the terrible facts, that we wish we could forget about, to our attention so that we may more fully understand the consequences of slavery. The main character in the film is a African woman named Mona, and she is a model living in the modern day. During a photo shoot at a location where slaves were traded she is disturbed by a man. This man stays at that location constantly performing a type of ritual involving beating drums and chanting something in a language we don’t understand, however the word Sankofa is repeated many times in the chant and is quite clear. This man appears to be a nuisance to all the tourists, tour guides, as well as Mona and her photographer who are visiting the site. After the incidence with this man Mona begins touring the location where slaves where held once they arrived from Africa. It is an underground dungeon of sort that is quite dark and dreary. While observing these conditions Mona is taken back in time and is immediately surrounded by slaves who are chained up in the dungeon. She immediately tries to flee but is captured by the slave traders who punish her for trying to escape by stripping her naked in front of all the other slaves and branding her back with an iron just as if she were an animal of some sort. The movie then tells the story of Mona as a slave in the past and through this challanging experience – to say the least – she gains an appreciation for what her ancestors have gone through. She then returns to modern day and is no longer offended by the ritualistic man, but instead uses the rituals as a way to reflect on all that her ancestors have gone through and be grateful for what she has today. During Mona’s experience as a slave we see
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