A Damilola Taylor Documentary has been announced.
Tv station Channel 4 have announced a Damilola Taylor Documentary on his murder to mark the 20th anniversary of his death.
DJ, writer and childhood friend of Damilola, Yinka Bokinni will present the film, entitled Damilola: The Boy Next Door, recounting the incident and its destructive aftermath.
On 27 November 2000, ten-year-old Damilola was attacked as he approached his home on North Peckham Estate. He died in hospital from the wounds, and two brothers were eventually convicted of manslaughter in 2006.
Also a former resident of the estate, Yinka Bokinni said: “I’ve never spoken about the murder of my childhood friend until now, I have lived my life with so many questions about what happened and why it happened in the place that I called home.
“To finally be telling the story feels both therapeutic and scary but I am ready to share this side of the story. Hopefully everyone will get to know the real Damilola, as he lived, a bit better.”
North Peckham Estate, the scene of the murder and Damilola’s home, was branded a notorious ‘sink estate’ by the media and thus blamed for the tragedy.
It was ultimately demolished in the years that followed, but Bokinni fondly recalls her own childhood spent in its warm and friendly community.
Creative Director at acme films, Jaimie D’Cruz, added: “Acme prides itself on telling stories that reflect the realities of life for people and communities whose voices are often silenced by simplified narratives and the rush to judgement.
“In revisiting an event that both shocked the nation and impacted young lives completely, Ashley Francis-Roy’s powerful film explores childhood, trauma and the nature of unreliable memory, and discovers a brilliant new documentary talent in Yinka Bokinni.”
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