A Story of Bones
The island of St Helena is the setting for a history of old bones that cry out to expose a terrible injustice.
Image courtesy of Tull Stories
This summer the British distributor Tull Stories has been on a roll having released two of this year's best documentaries, Strike: An Uncivil War and Younger. When viewing this latest film from that source I thought it likely for much of the time that they had achieved a hat-trick. In fact, they haven't quite done that although A Story of Bones is in many respects immensely appealing and I believe that those who are drawn to it due to its subject-matter will readily forgive the one major weakness that in my eyes limits its success.
Most people will have heard of the island of St Helena on account of the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte lived out his last years there and was, indeed, initially buried on that island in 1821. However, this documentary by Joseph Curran and Dominic Aubrey de Vere is concerned with a quite different feature of St Helena's past, one that could be described as neglected history deserving of being brought into the light. The fact that after more than two hundred years Britain had outlawed the slave trade in 1807 led to so-called liberated slaves being taken off ships and in many cases being sent to St Helena which became home for many of them and for their descendants. However, they were kept in shocking conditions and badly treated both in life and in death.
A Story of Bones refers back to much of this old history but it begins in 2006 when for the first time human remains were found in that part of the island known as Rupert’s Valley. We see old footage of this before the film settles down to cover further discoveries in 2008 and then to take on the story from 2016 onwards. The central figure here who is not only seen but provides a voice-over commentary from time to time is a Namibian living in St Helena whose name is Annina Van Neel. She had arrived there as an employee of Basil Read having taken on the role of environmental officer on a major project to give St Helena an airport. The British government had seen this as a major step to encourage tourism to this remote British territory situated over a thousand miles west of Africa. Not having been born there, she saw herself as something of an outsider despite marrying a local man, but that did not prevent her from becoming increasingly concerned on learning that work on the airport’s access road prior to her appointment had led to the discovery of a burial ground. The full area was such that some 8000 slaves had been buried there and this discovery in 2008 had led to 325 bodies being unearthed. The remains were placed in a store beside the local prison supposedly as a temporary measure. But, as we see, everything was stalled regardless of the endeavours of a group known as the Liberated African Advisory Committee anxious to push for a proper burial and an appropriate memorial. Not until 2020 were detailed plans approved, but even then delays followed as well as major modifications to what had seemed settled.
This documentary is welcome for spotlighting history that should be more widely known but it is also a film that catches the atmosphere of St Helena and its inhabitants. As for Nina herself, she is an engaging central figure appearing alongside directors from the island’s own museum and from the National Trust. This local flavour is further enhanced by footage of interviews by Tammy Williams heard on local radio and by the appearance of other ordinary citizens such as a history guide and a carpenter. There is also a valid addition to all this since it is part of the film’s aim to underline the fact that threats of development that will destroy old burial grounds amount to a global issue - and one which, as on St Helena, can relate to ancient African burial grounds. The film refers back to one such occasion in Lower Manhattan in 1992 when the preservationist Peggy King Jorde played a notable role and she visits St Helena where she finds immense rapport with Nina and becomes an advocate for the cause.
A Story of Bones is, of course, a portrait of a long-running struggle dogged by delays and disdain and that has to be brought out in the film. Nevertheless, that becomes a problem for the film itself in view of the decision to let it run for 95 minutes. Much of what we see here is well edited by James Scott but that does not alter the fact that the film is one which restates its stance over and over again. The final written statements carry their own dramatic impact as they reveal what happened subsequently, but too much of what is covered in the film’s second half feels like ground that has already been dealt with and does not need further telling. One of the other documentaries that I mentioned, Younger, had the courage to limit itself to 57 minutes and gained accordingly. Although A Story of Bones probably needed to be much longer than that film, an astute re-editing to lose possibly as much as fifteen minutes would have benefited it. But, even if that is a strong reservation, I value what this documentary has to say and I like its character. Even if you should end up sharing my criticism, it is a film well worth seeing.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Annina Van Neel, Peggy King Jorde, Cruyff Buckley, Tammy Williams, Jeremy Harris, Adam Sizeland, Gavin Ellick, Lisa Phillips, Brian Leo, Phil Mercury, Noah Van Neel Hayes, Philip Rushbrook, Colin Benjamin.
Dir Joseph Curran and Dominic Aubrey de Vere, Pro Yvonne Isimene Ibazebo, Ed James Scott, Music Bankey Ojo.
Archer’s Mark/PT Film/Turnover Films/BFI Doc Society-Tull Stories.
95 mins. UK. 2022. UK Rel: 2 August 2024. Cert. 12A.
