The Power of Unity

in cinemas 25th november

in cinemas 25th november

The Power of Unity

in cinemas 25th november

Welcome to A United Kingdom: The Power of Unity, brought to you by National Schools Partnership and Into Film with Pathé.

This inspirational, free educational resource is linked to personal social education, history and character building and uses the new film A United Kingdom (starring David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike and Tom Felton and being released in cinemas nationwide on 25th November) to help young people, aged 11-18, discover the power that ‘unity’ has to transform societies and shape British values.

The film tells the remarkable true story of Seretse Khama, the King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana) and Ruth Williams, a London office worker, whose love triumphed over oppression and intolerance to lay the foundations for one of Africa’s most peaceful and prosperous countries.

This flexible resource, which can be used to support Black History Month, will immerse your

students in the post-war period of the British Empire in Africa, while bringing into focus the contemporary relevance of the story. They will build empathy with the film’s key characters by discovering what shaped their views and actions at the time, and reflecting on how British values have developed to include tolerance and respect for cultural diversity and interracial relationships.

The programme will empower your students to become ambassadors for unity, promoting tolerance in your school and wider community. Students will be encouraged to create and share their own statements about why they think unity is powerful, or give examples of when they’ve seen unity conquer difference on a Unity Message Board in school.

Students can also submit their statements into The Power of Unity competition by email or social media for the chance to win great prizes.

Learning outcomes

A United Kingdom: The Power of Unity will help your students learn about:

• Challenging discrimination and intolerance;• Respect for other people through tolerance and

harmony between cultural traditions or beliefs;• How people’s lives have shaped this nation;• How Britain has influenced and been influenced

by the wider world.

Delivery options

This flexible resource can be used in a variety of ways to best suit your school and students’ needs:

• Whole lesson in Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) / Personal and Social Education (PSE) / Health & Wellbeing / Learning for Life and Work (LLW);

• Whole lesson in History / Social Studies;• Tutor and registration sessions;• School council meetings;• Debate groups.

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#PowerofUnityCopyright © Pathé Production Limited, British Broadcasting

Corporation and the British Film Institute, 2016

The Power of Unity

in cinemas 25th november

Resources needed

All resources can be downloaded at: www.nationalschoolspartnership.com/AUnitedKingdom They include:

• A United Kingdom presentation;• A United Kingdom student handout;• A United Kingdom character cards;

You will also need a laptop with speakers, internet connection and projector for showing the film trailer.

Suggested timing

You will need approximately an hour to deliver the resource, however this could be done across two shorter sessions if you are delivering it as part of a tutor group or registration session.

Notes

• The film has a 12a rating, however the trailer, which features in the resource, is suitable for viewing by students aged 11.

• Quotes featured within the A United Kingdom presentation are real quotes, unless otherwise labelled as quotes from the film. The information and quotes used in the A United Kingdom character cards are all from the film and are designed to represent the different views held at the time.

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#PowerofUnityCopyright © Pathé Production Limited, British Broadcasting

Corporation and the British Film Institute, 2016

The Power of Unity

in cinemas 25th november

The programme consists of three stages

1. Discover

Transport your students back to the 1940s by immersing them in this extraordinary true story. The stimulating A United Kingdom presentation, allows them to explore the film’s real-life characters through the moving trailer and thought-provoking questions.

Share the information on each slide with your class and use the questions throughout as prompts for discussion and critical thinking, including:

• What would you do if you were forbidden from returning to your own country?

• Tolerance was not shown to Seretse and Ruth by their governments and many people involved. What does it mean to have tolerance towards others and why is it important?

This stage will enable students to explore the British Empire and societal views of the time as well as build empathy with the scenarios that Seretse and Ruth faced.

2. Take to the floor

Involve your students in an engaging discussion, using the actions of the key characters to enable students to analyse and discuss changing values.

Split your students into groups and provide each group with A United Kingdom character card.

Task them to use the stimulus to explore what shaped the characters’ beliefs and actions. You can support your students with the discussion starters provided within the presentation on slide 15. Invite your students to share their views in a whole class discussion on the ‘importance of unity over difference’. Explore how British values around tolerance and respect for cultural diversity have changed over time and encourage students to think of other well-known figures, who have fought for unity.

3. Take Action

Beyond the classroom, empower your students to become ambassadors of unity promoting tolerance in their own schools and communities.

Share slide 19 and the A United Kingdom student handout and challenge your students to create their own statement around why they think unity is powerful. Their statement could include examples of when they’ve seen unity conquer difference.

They can then share these messages with their whole school community on a Unity Message Board within school. In addition, you can ask your students to plan how to promote their Unity Message Board.

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#PowerofUnityCopyright © Pathé Production Limited, British Broadcasting

Corporation and the British Film Institute, 2016

The Power of Unity

in cinemas 25th november

The Power of Unity competition

Share slide 20 and the A United Kingdom student handout and encourage your students to enter their unity statement into our exciting competition.• Older students (13+) can share their

statements on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #PowerOfUnity and #AUnitedKingdom.

• Alternatively, for students under 13, you can email their full name, age and statement to filmcompetitions@nationalschoolspartnership.com

The deadline for entries is Tuesday 6th December 2016. Students will be entered into a prize draw to win signed copies of the movie poster and Colour Bar, the book that inspired the film A United Kingdom. One student will also be drawn at random and awarded a Cineworld Unlimited gift card for one year. Winners will be notified by social media or their teacher’s email (depending on the method of entry) by 12th December 2016. Competition terms and conditions are available at: www.nationalschoolspartnership.com/AUK_termsandconditions

Support and extension options

To help support your students’ learning, you could:• Add a short starter activity. Ask students to

work with a partner to research the meaning of the following words and phrases, which appear in the A United Kingdom presentation:• Apartheid• Ruling as regent• Exile• Protectorate

• Discuss one or two of the A United Kingdom character cards as a class, at the start of the “Take to the Floor” activity. This would help to highlight the values that have been identified. If discussing two cards, select one supporting and one opposing character.

To extend your students’ learning, you could task them to:• Carry out independent research about other

key historical characters who have fought for unity such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.

• Carry out independent research about the British Empire during this period, including which countries were British colonies and protectorates.

• Create a timeline highlighting changes related to discrimination during this historical period.

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#PowerofUnityCopyright © Pathé Production Limited, British Broadcasting

Corporation and the British Film Institute, 2016

The Power of Unity

in cinemas 25th november

Background information to support your teaching

It may be helpful to show the students a map of southern Africa to ensure they know that Bechuanaland (currently Botswana) and South Africa are neighbouring countries. Point out that the film is set during the period when South Africa was part of the British Commonwealth and Bechuanaland was a British Protectorate.

The British EmpireAt the end of World War II, the British Empire covered a quarter of the globe, incorporating India; dozens of territories across Africa and Asia; and self-governing dominions such as South Africa, Canada and Australia.

However, after the end of WWII, many nations started fighting for or receiving independence from their European colonial rulers. The British Empire was starting to collapse as Britain granted independence to many of its major colonies, starting in India.

As well as a fear of Stalin’s expansion into Africa to try to secure colonies, there was also the threat of civil war in Bechuanaland as a result of the feud between Seretse and his uncle, Tshekedi.

BechuanalandBechuanaland was one of a number of ‘protectorates’ within the Empire, where local rulers kept some of their traditional powers but were subject to British overrule. Bechuanaland was lightly colonised because it had little to offer Britain: it was largely semi-desert, and diamonds and other minerals had yet to be discovered. The white population was small, and both racial inequalities and segregation were firmly established. There was no administrative capital within the territory, and British affairs were run from South Africa, through the British High Commissioner. For the people of Bechuanaland, the designation “protectorate” was invested with a

particular meaning–protection had been requested of Queen Victoria by Seretse’s grandfather to combat the threat of incorporation into neighbouring South Africa. Although British rule was widely resented by the Batswana, South Africa’s racism and policy of apartheid was considered a greater danger. Apartheid From 1948, the political system of apartheid ruled all parts of life in South Africa. It imposed a racial hierarchy which privileged the white South Africans. For example, only white South Africans had the right to vote. Apartheid didn’t fully end in South Africa until 1994.

Britain’s relationship with South AfricaBritain’s original interest in South Africa was due to the country being on the trade route to India, however, this increased significantly when gold and diamonds were discovered in the late 1800s. By the time of Seretse and Ruth’s marriage in the 1940s, the British were also interested in the uranium deposits in South Africa as the radioactive metal could be used in nuclear bombs. The British government therefore wanted to ensure they maintained a strong and positive relationship with South Africa. The British government feared that South Africa would leave the Commonwealth if Britain didn’t support their new policy of apartheid. This concern was a key factor behind the British government’s opposition to Seretse and Ruth’s marriage, as South Africa did not want a neighbouring country to be ruled by an interracial couple. The political motivation contributed to the British government exiling Seretse Khama so he could not lead his nation.

The Church’s opposition to the marriageDue to the British government’s opposition to the marriage, the Bishop of London would not allow the couple to be married in a church.

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#PowerofUnityCopyright © Pathé Production Limited, British Broadcasting

Corporation and the British Film Institute, 2016

The Power of Unity

in cinemas 25th november

Curriculum links

This cross-curricular resource links to several curriculum and school priority areas:

• Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) / Personal and Social Education (PSE) / Health & Wellbeing / Learning for Life and Work (LLW)

• History / Social Studies• British Values and Spiritual, Moral, Social and

Cultural (SMSC) (in England)• National Literacy and Numeracy Framework

(in Wales)• Religious and Moral Education (RME)

(in Scotland)

About the film

Starring David Oyelowo (Selma), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and Tom Felton (Harry Potter) and directed by Amma Asante (Belle), the film tells the incredible true story of Seretse Khama, King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London office worker he married in 1948 in the face of fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments. Seretse and Ruth defied family, apartheid and Empire–their love triumphed over every obstacle flung in their path and in so doing they transformed their nation and inspired the world.

• The film opens the BFI London Film Festival on 5th October.

• There will be free screenings of the film as part of the Into Film Festival–the world’s largest free film and education event for all UK schools. Visit www.intofilm.org/events/festival to secure your free places.

• The film will be released in cinemas across the UK on 25th November.

Find out more:

www.AUnitedKingdomFilm.com www.facebook.com/AUnitedKingdomFilm www.twitter.com/AUnitedKingdom

The book

The film is based on the true story told in the book Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation by Susan Williams (Penguin). A film tie-in edition will be published on 27th October.

Find out more at bit.ly/Penguin_ColourBar

To purchase copies of the book (IBSN: 9780141985701) for your students, and for more information on special discounts that may be available to you as a teacher, please contact Rozzie Todd: RTodd@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk

P E N G U I N P R E S S

Date: 13/09/2016Designer: c/o JimProduction Controller:

ISBN: 9780713998115

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OLOUR BAR

COLOUR BARNOW THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURESUSAN WILLIAMS

A UNITED KINGDOM

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A UNITED KINGDOM A UNITED KINGDOM A UNITED KINGDOM

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‘One of the greatest love stories of the twentieth century’  

Daily Mail

London, 1947. He was the heir to an African kingdom. She was a white English insurance clerk. When they met

and fell in love, it would change the world.

This is the inspiring true story of Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams, whose marriage sent shockwaves through

the establishment, defi ed an empire – and, fi nally, triumphed over the prejudices of their age.

‘Reading the book, I realized that I had never seen an African love story of this cinematic scope.

It spoke to me as an African, as a man, as a romantic’ David Oyelowo

‘A story of forgiveness and healing … as relevant today as when the whole drama was

being played out’ Alexander McCall Smith

9780141985701_ColourBar_COV.indd 1 13/09/2016 16:55

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#PowerofUnityCopyright © Pathé Production Limited, British Broadcasting

Corporation and the British Film Institute, 2016