The son of black activist Darcus Howe, Rap - Londoner

Rap is the son of Darcus Howe, a black activist who moved over to the UK in the late 1960s and became a prominent political voice and advocate for black rights. Rap tells us how his dad wasn't around much, but how he values what he stood for.

This film was made by Christine Lutzu - Chrissy Lutzu Photography and Film as a part of the 1000 Londoners ‘Windrush Generations’ season.

1000 LONDONERS

This film is part of 1000 Londoners, a ten-year digital project which aims to create a digital portrait of a city through 1000 of the people who identify themselves with it. The profile contains a 3 minute film that gives an insight into the life of the Londoner, as well as their personal photos of London and some answers to crucial questions about their views on London life. Over the course of the project we aim to reveal as many facets of the capital as possible, seeing city life from 1000 points of view.

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1000 Londoners is produced by South London based film production company and social enterprise, Chocolate Films. The filmmakers from Chocolate Films will be both producing the films and providing opportunities to young people and community groups to make their own short documentaries, which will contribute to the 1000 films. Visit www.chocolatefilms.com

TRANSCRIPT

My dad was Darcus Howe, who was a black activist in the early part of the 70s. He gave a voice really a sort of political kind of voice for people that didn't know how to express themselves. He was a very politically aware, astute, man. So my Dad, he came over in the late 60s to the UK to study law, became a barrister. He came at a time where there was a lot of political change here in the UK but also from where his homeland was, was in Trinidad. He was able to mobilise and help lots of different people to come together, to challenge the mainstream which was racism.

I get more upset at maybe reading some of the comments, the hateful comments that you get from racists that are on YouTube or who don't understand or didn't get, or don't know, my Dad and you know, those sort of things will kind of will get to you more than maybe how he was treated by the police.

There's a couple of pictures of my brother and myself and my Dad on a truck, you know, with the policemen in front, demonstrating about this march for me that kind of... I think that's probably one of the favourite pictures of my Dad.

He wasn't a Dad that would take you to the park and play football and stuff like that, you know growing up as a kid I was growing up with my mum mainly as a single parent and my Dad was never really around as such. I didn't dislike him for it, I didn't hate him for that it was just unconditional love, even though I didn't know him as a child.

Knowing what I've been through as a kid and seeing what I've seen on these demonstrations back in the day, I know they're not all the same now but I'm still kind of a bit apprehensive with my youngest child going on those demonstrations even though I think it's something that she should experience.

I think the problem we have today as sort of as a black community in London is that I don't feel that there is a lot of voices out there for us to represent us in that way. He kind of brings to me is, value wise, is strength. Strength, positivity. If I can take those sort of traits with me through life, which I think I have been able to do so so far, and kind of try and instil them in my children I'd be really happy with that. And I'm sure Dad would too as well.