Barrel Children Screened in Jamaica

It’s been a while since I did any socialising, so it was great to receive an invite to a gathering last month on the lawns of the British High Commission in Jamaica. 

The event was for a special screening of an excellent documentary, Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind. Directed by the Independent newspaper’s race correspondent Nadine White, the film covers several deep but rarely discussed issues. 

While the history of the Windrush generation is well documented, the narratives of the children they left behind are less popular. Generally, the only contact parents maintained with offspring came through the barrel packages they sent back home. 

Although the most fortunate children would eventually join their parents in Britain, White’s moving debut describes the trauma they experienced. Many were reluctant to leave their home and relatives, and few had any recollection of their mothers and fathers.  

While some interviewees ultimately developed stable relationships with their new families in Britain, others struggled. This 82-minute documentary features testimony from eight British Jamaicans, including three who went on to establish pioneering careers in British media:

• Publicist Evadney Campbell MBE
• Co-founder of Choice FM, the UK’s first black legal radio station, Neil Kenlock
• Reggae producer and sound system operator Steve ‘Blacker Dread’ Burnett-Martin 

Providing humour and valuable insight, Barrel Children is essential viewing for anyone interested in understanding the legacy of British colonial rule.