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| No happy birthdays in death row |
‘This is Mumia Abu Jamal…
from Death Row; this short yet startling introduction serves, in case we had
forgotten, as a reminder of the situation Mumia is and has been for the last 27
years.Mumia Abu Jamal was a
journalist and Black Panther militant in Philadelphia,
US, at the time
of his arrest for the murder of a police officer.
Thanks largely to his
regular broadcasts from death row, his books and the high-profile campaigns run
on his behalf throughout the world, Abu Jammal remains the best known death
row prisoner in the U.S.
On the other hand,Marc Evans is, in his own
words,your typical white middle class young American.
So not much in common
between these two men then, you may think, except for the fact that, as it
happens, Mumia was arrested on the very same day Marc was born, 9 December 1981.So Marc, who since his early childhood has been reminded of this fact by his mum (also featured in the film),sets out to find out by himself what’s behind what for many people is a
flagrant example of injustice and racism.
Mumia was accused of
murdering a police officer, Daniel Faulkner, on that fateful day and swiftly condemned
to death; as the film evidences, the racial tensions in Philadelphia since the
60’s had been very present and racism was widespread. An unfair trial based on
racial prejudice and confusing evidence is the basis for Mumia’s lawyers demands
for a re-trail; as the documentary uncovers, there is fresh evidence that supports
Mumia’s legal representatives and worldwide human rights activists call for a
new hearing.The documentary features
familiar faces such as Noam Chomsky and Alice Walker, whose quiet yet powerful
denunciation of a racist system that condemned Mumia and many others, produces
one of the highlights of the film.
There is plenty of evidence
in the film that clearly, at the very least, should convince any un-biased mind
of the difficulties and irregularities of the case presented against Mumia, not
least because for the first time and after many years in fearful silence,
Mumia’s brother, also present in the scene that day, is prepared to give
evidence.Clearly, Evans’ pursuit has
an objective: to demonstrate all of the above and help gather support for what
he (and many more people) believes is a legitimate and urgent cause.
His no-nonsensical approach
serves, ultimately, to this purpose.
Everyone who believes and
fights for human rights should be grateful to Marc Evans for enlightening us
and for giving us this rare example of cinema and compromise without being
lectured.
However, and despite all the
efforts, we must not forget that Mumia’s life still hangs on the balance as his
legal struggle remains uncertain.
