As part of a whole week of events, campaigns and resources to mark Anti-Slavery Day on 18th October, Hope for Justice and other members of the Coalition to Stop Slavery are seeking to raise public awareness through as many methods as possible.
One way we have been reaching new audiences with key messages is via a specially commissioned piece by Dai Woolridge, an award-winning spoken-word poet from South Wales. Below you can see him performing this powerful piece about modern slavery and human trafficking, called ‘Slavery Still Exists’.
Click to watch Dai Woolridge’s powerful spoken word piece for Anti-Slavery Day
Dai said: “It’s been truly humbling to be part of such a significant campaign. As a poet, there is no greater gift than using your words to speak meaning, inspire and bring change, and it has been a privilege to create a piece around the anti-slavery campaign. It’s been a learning process for me, challenging and eye-opening. If my words help in some small way to help bring hope and see change, I’d be truly grateful.”
Filming and direction was by Hope for Justice’s Gomolemo Nyakale, who said: “The creative direction for the film was entirely led by the powerful words Dai had written. He regularly tells us as the audience to Look (both verbally and physically in BSL, British Sign Language) as he journeys us through the evolution of slavery. I really liked the idea of using these vast empty spaces as a backdrop for Dai to speak into. For me, this represents the idea that the subject matter has at times been spoken into the void, and fallen on deaf ears. Slavery is as real and as present as it’s ever been.
“Ultimately, we wanted to create a visual story that complemented the piece rather than being a spectacle getting in the way of the heavy, sobering words being spoken. Just one person, in a room asking us to Look. Look at the reality that so many ignore or are unaware of. The film constantly forces us no matter where look to see the hard truth that ‘SLAVERY STILL EXISTS’.”
We also continue to promote two highly successful films made last year, one set in a hand car wash and one in a nightclub, on the theme of ‘It’s Never This Obvious’.
