Burning An Illusion 40th Anniversary Q&A

BFI At Home with African Odysseys, looks back on Menelik Shabazz’s seminal Burning An Illusion, produced and released at a time of great unrest and activism in response to racial injustice in London at that time. This coming of age tale, in which a young woman develops a political and emotional awareness in response to the immediate world in which she finds herself, was made at the same time as the shocking New Cross arson attack which killed 14 young people and the extraordinary response of the Black Peoples Day of Action on 2 March, the largest protest by London’s Black community to date.

No less urgent today it’s also a fine reminder of the richness of Black music culture of the period, where women emerged as protagonists in a vibrant and conscious Reggae culture as embodied here by Ras Angels and Messengers and the legendary Lovers Rock star, Janet Kay.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the film’s release, Kunle Olulode of African Odysseys, hosts a conversation between Director Menelik Shabazz, Actors Cassie McFarlane and Victor Romero Evans, Singer and performer Janet Kay and UNISON Race Equality office and activist Margaret Greer.