Original subtitles

[CHEERING]

Narrator: 1945.

THE EMPIRE HAS UNITED BEHIND BRITAIN

TO FIGHT, AND WIN, A SECOND WORLD WAR.

BUT WHEN THE HEADY HAZE OF VICTORY HAS CLEARED,

THE BRITISH PEOPLE ARE LEFT EXHAUSTED...

THE NATION SHATTERED BY AUSTERITY AND DEBT.

THE PRESTIGE AND IDEALS OF EMPIRE ARE FADING.

AS THE EMPIRE CRUMBLES, IMPERIAL ATTITUDES LIVE ON.

BRITAIN AND HER EMPIRE MUST CONFRONT THE LEGACY

OF INTOLERANCE, PATERNALISM, AND PREJUDICE.

Aboriginal woman: MOST OF US ARE WHITE IN THE HEAD

BUT FEEL BLACK INSIDE.

WE AREN'T BLACK OR WHITE.

WE ARE A LONELY, LOST, SAD, AND DISPLACED GROUP OF PEOPLE.

Chief: COME AND INTEGRATE, YOU SAY.

BUT HOW CAN I?

WHAT IS THERE IN MY CULTURE YOU VALUE?

Man: WE WERE TOLD ENGLAND WAS THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

WE CAME HERE, AND TO OUR SURPRISE,

FOUND YOU WOULDN'T ACCEPT US.

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

Woman: THE OLD IDEA OF EMPIRE IS REPUGNANT TO US TODAY.

[SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]

BUT THE COLONIES ARE A LEGACY,

WHICH WE INHERITED

AND WHICH CANNOT JUST BE THROWN OFF.

[BAND PLAYING MARCH]

Narrator: 1953.

THE CORONATION OF ELIZABETH THE SECOND.

Man, voice-over: HER MAJESTY COMING NOW, UNDER THE ADMIRALTY ARCH,

COMING INTO THE SQUARE,

AND THE CROWD RECEIVES THEM AS ONLY A BRITISH CROWD IN LONDON COULD.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH IMPERIAL IN ITS SYMBOLS AND SPLENDOR,

THE EVENT HERALDS A NEW MULTIRACIAL "COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS."

IN 1949, INDIA HAD BECOME THE FIRST NON-WHITE REPUBLIC WITHIN THE COMMONWEALTH.

AMIDST THE CORONATION PROCESSION,

INDIA'S PRIME MINISTER, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU:

Nehru: I THINK THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH

IS OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE.

THIS KIND OF FREE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTRIES

WITH DIFFERENT INTERESTS, DIFFERENT OUTLOOKS

TRYING TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER,

IS A VERY GREAT THING.

Narrator: BUT LIFE IN POST-WAR BRITAIN IS HARD.

PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES.

HOUSING AND JOBS ARE SCARCE.

WAR-TIME RATIONING CONTINUES.

IN A LETTER TO THE DAILY WORKER, MARY MULLINDER:

Mullinder: I AM FED RIGHT UP TO THE TEETH WHEN I DO MY SHOPPING.

I'VE GOT JUST ENOUGH MONEY TO GET MY BARE RATIONS.

WE SHOULD CUT DOWN ON CORONATION SPENDING

AND ON THE ARMED FORCES.

WHY SHOULD WORKING PEOPLE SUFFER?

[ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING]

[CHOIR SINGING INDISTINCTLY]

Man: WILL YOU SOLEMNLY PROMISE AND SWEAR

TO GOVERN THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND,

CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, PAKISTAN, AND CEYLON,

ACCORDING TO THEIR RESPECTIVE LAWS AND CUSTOMS?

I SOLEMNLY PROMISE SO TO DO.

Narrator: NO LONGER EMPRESS,

THE QUEEN IS CROWNED HEAD OF A COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS.

All: GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

[TRUMPET FANFARE]

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

Narrator: FROM AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH,

PEOPLE SEND RADIO MESSAGES TO THE NEW QUEEN.

Man, voice-over: I AM HAJ JAMIL FROM SINGAPORE.

Woman, voice-over: FROM NIGERIA.

I DO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE OCCASION OF YOUR CORONATION.

Man, voice-over: ...IN THE WEST INDIES.

Woman, voice-over: FROM SARAWAK, BORNEO.

Second woman, voice-over: ON BEHALF OF THE YOUTH OF INDIA,

I BEG TO WISH TO YOU MY HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS.

Man, voice-over: ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE 7 MILLION AFRICANS OF TANGANYIKA.

Second man, voice-over: FELICITATIONS AND GOOD WISHES

OF THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN.

Woman, voice-over: BETH COTFORD FROM HAWKE'S BAY, NEW ZEALAND.

Girl, voice-over: AND I COME FROM TRISTAN DA CUNHA.

DADDY SAYS IT'S THE LONELIEST ISLAND IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: BUT THE CORONATION CELEBRATIONS ARE SHORT-LIVED.

THE BRITISH PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF POST-WAR HARDSHIP.

THEY WANT A BETTER LIFE,

AND BRITAIN'S WHITE COMMONWEALTH CAN OFFER IT.

Boy, voice-over: DAD'S TAKING ME TO AUSTRALIA.

HE SAYS IT'S THE BEST PLACE FOR ME TO GET ON IN LIFE.

Man, voice-over: YOU, TOO, CAN GO TO AUSTRALIA FOR ONLY 10 POUNDS.

Narrator: AUSTRALIAN ADVERTISEMENTS TEMPT BRITAIN'S WORKERS TO EMIGRATE.

Second man, voice-over: I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IMMIGRATION.

Narrator: AN UNDER-POPULATED AUSTRALIA FEARS ENCROACHMENT FROM ITS ASIAN NEIGHBORS.

[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

Narrator: BRITISH WORKERS ARE OFFERED PASSAGE FOR JUST £10.

AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION, ARTHUR CALDWELL:

Caldwell: IT IS MY HOPE THAT FOR EVERY FOREIGN MIGRANT

THERE WILL BE 10 FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM.

THESE MILLIONS OF NEW CITIZENS WILL PUSH BACK OUR FRONTIERS,

EXPAND OUR INDUSTRIES,

AND BUILD US INTO A POWERFUL NATION.

Narrator: THOUSANDS OF DISILLUSIONED BRITONS

APPLY FOR THE 10-POUND SCHEME.

A FOUNDRY WORKER IN WALES:

Worker: I'VE DECIDED TO MAKE A MOVE.

I'M ONLY WORKING A 44-HOUR WEEK JUST NOW

WITH NO OVERTIME OR BONUS,

SO, REALLY, IT'S A HAND-TO-MOUTH EXISTENCE.

I'M A YOUNG MAN YET

AND GOOD FOR ANOTHER 20 YEARS' WORK OUT THERE.

Narrator: A YOUNG MOTHER FROM NEWCASTLE:

Woman: THE CHILDREN WILL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE.

THERE'S NO CLASS DISTINCTION.

ACCENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

WHAT THEIR MOTHER AND FATHER WERE

WILL NOT STOP THEM GETTING ON OUT THERE

IF THEY'VE GOT A BRAIN.

Narrator: IN JUST 10 YEARS FOLLOWING THE WAR,

OVER 500,000 BRITONS EMIGRATE TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND...

MORE THAN 400,000 TO CANADA.

ON BOARD THE LINER "ASTURIAS," A SHIP'S STEWARD:

Steward: IT'S ALWAYS DISTRESSING WATCHING THE FINAL FAREWELLS.

THEY OFTEN PLAY OLD SONGS OVER THE TANNOY

AND EVERYONE WEEPS.

A LOT OF THEM FEEL THEY WON'T EVER SEE THEIR LOVED ONES AGAIN.

AUSTRALIA REALLY IS A LONG WAY AWAY.

Woman: ♪ GRAB YOUR COAT AND GET YOUR HAT ♪

♪ LEAVE YOUR WORRIES ON THE DOORSTEP ♪

♪ JUST DIRECT YOUR FEET TO THE SUNNY, SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET ♪

Narrator: FROM CHESTERFIELD,

ALBERT WALKER, BOUND FOR MELBOURNE.

Walker: I TOOK MY LAST VIEW OF ENGLAND, AND TEARS WERE VERY NEAR.

I THOUGHT OF ALL ITS BEAUTY

AND ALL THOSE LOVELY TIMES I'D HAD.

I SUDDENLY REALIZED THAT I MAY NEVER SEE IT AGAIN...

AND THEN I THOUGHT OF ALL THE ADVANTAGES I WAS GOING TO--

A NEW COUNTRY, A NEW JOB, NEW PEOPLE...

A NEW LIFE.

♪ ...BE SO SWEET ♪

♪ ON THE SUNNY, SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET ♪

[WHISTLING]

Woman: ♪ WHY AM I HAPPY, WHY AM I GAY ♪

♪ ME AND MY BABY JUST MOVED OUT TODAY ♪

♪ TO HAPPINESS STREET ♪

♪ CORNER SUNSHINE SQUARE ♪

Man: HOW DID WE, A YOUNG FAMILY FROM NORTHUMBERLAND,

COME TO BE ON BOARD THIS LUXURY LINER,

EN ROUTE TO A DISTANT CONTINENT,

TO START A NEW LIFE?

THE DECISION TO EMIGRATE FROM ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA

IS NOT AN EASY ONE TO MAKE.

IT MEANS LEAVING FRIENDS AND FAMILY,

AND LEAVING THE COUNTRY IN WHICH YOU WERE BORN.

DO I THINK I'VE DONE A WISE THING?

ASK ME IN TEN YEARS' TIME,

WHEN THE BAIRNS ARE LEAVING SCHOOL,

AND I'LL TELL YOU.

Narrator: MATT DICKINSON, EN ROUTE FOR MELBOURNE.

MANY OF THE MIGRANT SHIPS ARE LUXURY LINERS.

WITH EVERYTHING FREE EXCEPT DRINKS AT THE BAR,

THE 5-WEEK VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA IS LIKE A HOLIDAY CRUISE.

AT THE EQUATOR, MATT DICKINSON AND HIS FAMILY

ENJOY THE TRADITIONAL "CROSSING-THE-LINE" CEREMONY.

Man: ♪ HOOP-DEE-DOO, HOOP-DEE-DOO... ♪

Dickinson: THE CHILDREN WERE AMAZED BY THE SIGHT OF NEPTUNE'S COURT,

AND THE ANTICS OF THE CREW AND THE NORMALLY STAID PASSENGERS.

THE SIGHT OF BIG BUILT SCOTCHMEN IN BRASSIERES

AND SMALL BUILT LASSIES IN OVERSIZE MEN'S PANTS IS REALLY QUITE FUNNY!

Man: ♪ ...HIGHER THAN A KITE... ♪

Dickinson: ALL THE BAIRNS GOT A REAL DUCKING BY NEPTUNE'S HELPERS,

AND I GOT MY SHARE.

Narrator: AFTER 5 LONG WEEKS, THEY ARRIVE IN THEIR NEW HOME.

[SHIP'S HORN BLOWS]

ENTERING SYDNEY HARBOUR, MARGERY BLACK:

Black: EVERYONE HELD THEIR BREATH.

MY FIRST VIEW OF AUSTRALIA.

THE SUN WAS BRILLIANT AND WARM,

BLUE SKY AND SPARKLING WATER.

MOST PEOPLE WERE IMPATIENT TO GET ASHORE,

BUT I WAS A LITTLE FRIGHTENED.

Narrator: A SHIP'S WELFARE OFFICER CALMS THE GROWING FEARS.

Officer: WE HAD TO TELL THEM THAT KANGAROOS WOULDN'T BE JUMPING DOWN THE STREETS!

A COUPLE OF ELDERLY LADIES WERE SCARED STIFF

THAT THERE WOULD BE NOTHING BUT

HORDES OF ABORIGINES TO GREET THEM.

Black: I FELT A PANG OF DESPAIR

THAT I COULD NEVER COPE IN THIS STRANGE PLACE

AND THAT THE WHOLE TRIP WAS A MISTAKE.

[INDISTINCT SPEECH OVER P.A.]

Narrator: ON ARRIVAL,

FAMILIES ARE SENT TO GOVERNMENT HOSTELS.

FROM LONDON, 17-YEAR-OLD SUSAN JENKINS:

Jenkins: WHEN WE GOT OUT OF THE BUS AT THE HOSTEL

AND SAW ALL THESE HUTS,

WE FELT LIKE WE'D ARRIVED AT SOME SORT OF CONCENTRATION CAMP.

OUR FIRST RECEPTION IN AUSTRALIA.

THEN THERE WERE THESE PEOPLE TALKING IN REALLY STRONG AUSTRALIAN ACCENTS.

I DIDN'T LIKE IT AT ALL.

IT WAS A DREADFUL PLACE.

I BEGAN TO THINK I'D SPEND THE REST OF MY DAYS

IN THIS TIN HUT THING.

Narrator: BUT MOST MIGRANT FAMILIES SOON FIND HOMES IN THE SUBURBS

AND BEGIN THE SEARCH FOR WORK.

MANUAL JOBS ARE PLENTIFUL.

MATT DICKINSON WAS A GROCER IN NORTHUMBERLAND.

IN AUSTRALIA, HE FINDS WORK WITH A RAILWAY GANG.

Dickinson: YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A RELIEF THIS NEW START IS.

I DREW MY FIRST PAY ON THE 24th OF JANUARY.

IT WAS £19 AND SIXPENCE FOR THE WEEK.

MY LAST PAY IN ENGLAND WAS £7 AND SIXPENCE!

Narrator: 19-YEAR-OLD DUNCAN FISHER

WORKS IN A FOUNDRY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Fisher: THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HOSTILITY AT WORK

TOWARDS POMS.

THEY SAY THINGS LIKE "THE ONLY GOOD POM IS A BLOODY DEAD POM,"

THAT SORT OF THING.

IT'S TAKEN ME A LONG TIME TO WORK OUT HOW THE AUSTRALIAN MIND WORKS.

THE WORD "BASTARD" IS A TERM OF ENDEARMENT.

FOR INSTANCE, "BLOODY POM" OR "BLOODY POMMY"

IS AN INSULT,

BUT "POMMY BASTARD" IS OK.

Narrator: AUSTRALIA WELCOMES 100,000 EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS A YEAR...

BUT REFUSES ENTRY TO ALMOST ALL NON-WHITE APPLICANTS.

THE GOVERNMENT IMPOSES A POLICY KNOWN AS "WHITE AUSTRALIA",

WHICH EVEN DISCRIMINATES AGAINST THOSE OF COMMONWEALTH ORIGIN.

AUSTRALIAN SECRETARY OF IMMIGRATION, PETER HEYDON:

Heydon: ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS WHO CAN BE REGARDED AS

BEING OF "EUROPEAN ORIGIN"

MAY BE PERMITTED TO SETTLE IN AUSTRALIA.

AUSTRALIANS ARE NERVOUS ABOUT MINORITIES

WHO FORM ETHNIC COLONIES IN OUR CITIES.

Narrator: THE "WHITE AUSTRALIA" POLICY PROVOKES STRONG OPPOSITION

FROM BRITAIN AND THE COMMONWEALTH.

IN A LETTER TO THE TIMES, SALLY SIAN FROM LONDON:

IT'S ALL WRONG FOR AUSTRALIA TO BAR IMMIGRANTS

FROM COLORED COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES.

INDIA IS OVERPOPULATED AND STARVING,

AND YET WHEN AUSTRALIA NEEDS IMMIGRANTS,

IT GOES TO GERMANY AND GREECE.

A FEW YEARS AGO, THE GERMANS WERE HATED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

NOW THEY'RE WELCOMED IN AUSTRALIA.

Narrator: BUT IT ISN'T JUST WOULD-BE IMMIGRANTS

WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THE CONCEPT OF A "WHITE AUSTRALIA."

FOR DECADES, AUSTRALIA'S INDIGENOUS POPULATION,

THE ABORIGINES,

HAVE SUFFERED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION,

THE REMOVAL OF THEIR HOMELANDS,

AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THEIR TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIFE.

AUBER NEVILLE, COMMISSIONER FOR NATIVE AFFAIRS, 1937:

Neville: THE PROBLEM IS ONE THAT WILL EVENTUALLY SOLVE ITSELF.

THERE ARE A GREAT MANY FULL-BLOODED ABORIGINES.

THEY ARE NOT GETTING ENOUGH FOOD

AND THEY ARE BEING DECIMATED BY THEIR OWN TRIBAL PRACTICES.

IN MY OPINION, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, THEY WILL DIE OUT.

Narrator: THE POPULATION OF SO-CALLED "FULL-BLOOD" ABORIGINES

IS RAPIDLY BEING OUTNUMBERED BY THOSE OF MIXED DESCENT.

IT IS PLANNED THAT EVENTUALLY ALL WILL BE ABSORBED INTO WHITE SOCIETY.

FOR 40 YEARS,

THE GOVERNMENT FOLLOWS A POLICY OF "ASSIMILATION."

MANY CHILDREN IDENTIFIED AS OF MIXED DESCENT

ARE REMOVED FROM THEIR FAMILIES

AND PLACED WITH WHITE FOSTER PARENTS,

OR IN CHURCH MISSIONS AND ORPHANAGES RUN BY WHITES.

Neville: WE HAVE THE POWER TO TAKE ANY CHILD FROM ITS MOTHER

AT ANY STAGE OF ITS LIFE.

I HAVE NO WISH TO BREAK UP FAMILIES,

BUT OTHER ASPECTS MUST BE CONSIDERED BESIDES SENTIMENT.

WE MUST WEED OUT THE LIGHT-COLORED CHILDREN.

Narrator: IN 1949,

"MILLICENT" IS TAKEN FROM HER FAMILY.

Millicent: I WAS SO AFRAID AND UNHAPPY.

I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

I WAS 4 YEARS OLD.

THAT NIGHT WE WOULD CRY OURSELVES TO SLEEP.

IT WAS THE LAST TIME I WAS TO SEE MY PARENTS.

Narrator: TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN,

BOTH THOSE IDENTIFIED AS FULL-BLOOD AND THOSE OF MIXED DESCENT,

HAVE BEEN SENT TO INSTITUTIONS FOR "ASSIMILATION."

MANY ARE SUBJECTED TO BRUTAL TREATMENT.

PHILLIP PROSSER:

Prosser: EVERY LITTLE THING YOU DID WAS A SIN

AND YOU WERE PUNISHED.

THEY HIT YOU WITH ANYTHING THEY COULD GET HOLD OF.

I WAS ACCUSED OF SOMETHING I HADN'T DONE

AND WAS GIVEN 6 ACROSS MY ARMS,

AND FLOGGED FROM MY SHOULDERS DOWN TO MY LEGS.

Millicent: ALL THEY CONTRIBUTED TO OUR FUTURE

WAS AN UNREPAIRABLE SCAR OF LONELINESS, MISTRUST, AND HATRED,

FEARS THAT HAVE BEEN WITH ME ALL MY LIFE.

Narrator: ON LEAVING SCHOOL,

MANY ABORIGINES SUFFER FROM UNEMPLOYMENT, DEPRESSION, ADDICTION.

WELFARE AUTHORITIES WILL TAKE MANY OF THEIR CHILDREN

AWAY FROM THEM.

1926.

STONEY INDIANS PARADE IN THE STREETS OF BANFF IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

CANADA'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE ALSO VICTIMS OF DISCRIMINATION.

STONEY INDIAN, ISAAC-ROLLING-IN-THE-MUD:

Isaac-Rolling-in-the-Mud: WHEN WE GAVE UP THE LAND,

WE GAVE UP OUR RIGHTS.

THAT IS WHY WE FEEL AS IF WE'RE IN CONFINEMENT...

WITH ALL THE WHITE PEOPLE'S LAWS AND REGULATIONS.

WE WERE BROUGHT UP FREE.

NOW WE FEEL THE IMPRISONMENT.

Narrator: CANADA HAS BECOME INDEPENDENT FROM BRITAIN,

BUT, LIKE AUSTRALIA, IT INHERITS THE PREJUDICES OF EMPIRE.

BY THE 1940s,

LARGE NUMBERS OF WHITE CANADIANS ARE MOVING FURTHER NORTH.

THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT "ENCOURAGES" THE NOMADIC ESKIMOS, THE INUIT,

TO LIVE IN SMALL, FIXED SETTLEMENTS.

IN A REPORT ON SETTLEMENT LIFE, HENRY LARSEN:

Larsen: CONDITIONS ARE APPALLING.

DESTITUTION, FILTH AND SQUALOR

ARE GRADUALLY UNDERMINING THE HEALTH OF THESE PEOPLE

AND IF NOT CHECKED WILL RESULT IN THEIR EXTERMINATION.

Narrator: INUIT, ABE OKPIK:

Okpik: THERE ARE ONLY VERY FEW OF US ESKIMOS,

BUT MILLIONS OF WHITES,

JUST LIKE MOSQUITOES.

IT IS SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL AND VERY WONDERFUL TO BE AN ESKIMO.

WE ARE LIKE SNOW GEESE.

IF AN ESKIMO FORGETS HIS ESKIMO WAYS,

HE WILL BE NOTHING BUT JUST ANOTHER MOSQUITO.

Narrator: A WHITE RESIDENT IN FROBISHER BAY:

Man: THIS MAY BE A DOOMED CULTURE,

BUT WE'RE NOT REPLACING IT WITH ANYTHING WORTHWHILE.

WE HAVE MADE EVERY MISTAKE IN THE BRITISH COLONIES

AND THEN SOME.

Narrator: MANY NATIVE PEOPLES THROUGHOUT CANADA

STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE.

1/3 ARE DEPENDENT ON WELFARE.

THE INFANT MORTALITY RATE IS DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.

LIFE EXPECTANCY IS ONE OF THE LOWEST IN THE WORLD.

[MEN CHANTING]

Narrator: OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS,

THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE EMPIRE

WILL STRUGGLE TO OVERTURN THE LEGACY OF RACISM.

CHIEF DAN GEORGE OF THE COAST SALISH PEOPLE:

George: DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE YOUR RACE BELITTLED?

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE WITHOUT PRIDE IN YOUR RACE?

IT IS LIKE NOT CARING ABOUT TOMORROW,

FOR WHAT DOES TOMORROW MATTER?

IT IS LIKE HAVING A RESERVE THAT LOOKS LIKE A JUNK YARD

BECAUSE THE BEAUTY IN THE SOUL IS DEAD.

COME AND INTEGRATE, YOU SAY.

BUT HOW CAN I?

WHAT IS THERE IN MY CULTURE YOU VALUE?

Narrator: BY THE END OF THE 1950s,

BLACK NATIONALISM IS WEAKENING BRITAIN'S HOLD

ON ITS AFRICAN COLONIES.

IN SOUTHERN RHODESIA,

POWER LIES WITH THE WHITE SETTLERS.

THEY ARE DETERMINED TO MAINTAIN THE HERITAGE OF THEIR FOUNDING FATHER, CECIL RHODES.

A WHITE FARMER, HAMISH USHER:

Usher: CECIL RHODES WAS A MAN WITH A VISION.

AN INNER VOICE BECKONED HIM TO BUILD A GREAT COUNTRY HERE,

IN A LAND ONCE ABANDONED TO SAVAGERY.

MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER HELPED CARVE A LIVING

OUT OF THE VIRGIN FOREST.

THE SILENCE OF CENTURIES WAS BROKEN AT LAST

BY THE SOUNDS OF CIVILIZATION,

BY THE RING OF AX AND HAMMER

AND THE BEAT OF STEAM ENGINES.

Narrator: 220,000 WHITE RHODESIANS RULE OVER 4,000,000 AFRICANS.

WHITE FARMERS CONTROL 70% OF THE BEST LAND,

LEAVING MOST AFRICANS WITH SMALL, INFERTILE HOLDINGS.

IN GWELO, GEORGE NDENZE:

Ndenze: THE WAY IN WHICH THE BLACKS ARE BEING TREATED BY THE WHITES

IS THE CAUSE OF ALL THE UNREST TODAY.

THE EUROPEANS HAVE CHEAP NATIVE LABOR,

WHICH THEY EXPLOIT AT THE EXPENSE OF AFRICAN ADVANCEMENT.

THE WHITE MAN HAS DEPRIVED US OF ALL OUR RIGHTS

IN THE LAND OF OUR BIRTH.

OUR STATE IS PITIABLE.

Narrator: THROUGHOUT THE 1960s, A WAVE OF NATIONALISM SWEEPS ACROSS AFRICA.

BUT FEARFUL OF SOUTH AFRICA'S RACIST INFLUENCE,

BRITAIN REFUSES TO GRANT SOUTHERN RHODESIA HER INDEPENDENCE,

UNTIL IAN SMITH'S WHITE GOVERNMENT

YIELDS TO BLACK MAJORITY RULE.

SMITH'S SUPPORTERS ARE INCENSED.

Man: I MOST CERTAINLY THINK THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS LET US DOWN,

AND, PERSONALLY, I THINK THEY STINK.

Woman: AND I THINK IT'S A DISGRACE,

AND I'M TERRIBLY ASHAMED OF THE FACT THAT

I WAS EVEN BORN IN ENGLAND.

Man: THEY COULD HAVE REALLY BUILT UP THE EMPIRE.

INSTEAD OF WHICH, THEY SEEM TO HAVE

GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY TO DESTROY THEIR EMPIRE.

Second woman: THE BASIC AFRICAN DEFINITELY IS NOT

IN A POSITION TO TAKE OVER GOVERNMENT.

Man: THE AFRICAN IN NO OTHER SPHERE

HAVE PROVED THEMSELVES CAPABLE OF ANYTHING.

WHY IS IT THAT IN BRITAIN,

THEY SEEM TO THINK THE ONE THING THE AFRICAN IS CAPABLE OF DOING IS GOVERNING?

Narrator: IN A LETTER TO THE RHODESIAN HERALD,

HARRY HART, JULY 1964:

Hart: I DON'T KNOW WHAT MR. SMITH IS WAITING FOR.

ENGLAND HAS CONTINUALLY SHOWN ITSELF TO BE TREACHEROUS TO DEAL WITH.

IF MR. SMITH DECIDES TO TAKE INDEPENDENCE,

THEN WE ARE ALL BEHIND HIM.

Radio announcer: THIS IS THE RHODESIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION.

HERE IS THE PRIME MINISTER OF RHODESIA...

Narrator: NOVEMBER 1965.

IAN SMITH SEIZES POWER--

A UNILATERAL DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

Smith: ...WE ARE THE FIRST WESTERN NATION IN THE LAST 2 DECADES

TO HAVE THE DETERMINATION TO SAY, "SO FAR AND NO FURTHER."

GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

Narrator: RHODESIA EMBARKS ON A PATH TO SOUTH AFRICAN-STYLE APARTHEID.

BRITAIN HAS LOST CONTROL TO WHITE NATIONALISTS

IN HER LAST REMAINING AFRICAN COLONY.

OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS,

RHODESIA IS ENGULFED BY VIOLENT CIVIL WAR.

IAN SMITH'S RHODESIAN ARMY

FIGHTS AGAINST 2 AFRICAN GUERRILLA FACTIONS.

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

Narrator: 1972.

PROTESTERS RIOT AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT'S RACIST POLICIES.

LEADER OF THE COMMUNIST-BACKED ZANU GUERRILLAS, ROBERT MUGABE:

Mugabe: OUR OBJECTIVE IS THE LIQUIDATION OF IMPERIALISM AND COLONIALISM.

[SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]

Mugabe: THROUGH ARMED STRUGGLE,

WE WILL SET UP A DEMOCRATIC STATE.

[SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE]

Narrator: AS THE BATTLE RAGES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE,

AFRICAN CIVILIANS ARE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

AN AFRICAN VILLAGER:

Villager: IF WE REPORT THE TERRORISTS, THEY COME AND KILL US.

IF WE DO NOT REPORT THEM,

THE SOLDIERS COME TO TORTURE US.

WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Narrator: A SOLDIER IN THE RHODESIAN ARMY

PATROLS A VILLAGE SUSPECTED OF HARBORING GUERRILLAS:

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

Soldier: YOU GO INTO A VILLAGE

AFTER ONE OF YOUR MATES HAS BEEN KILLED,

AND YOU FEEL BAD.

AND THEY SAY THEY'VE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF A TERRORIST.

AND YOU BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THEM.

[SHOUTING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

[GUNSHOTS]

[SHOUTING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

Soldier: WE WILL TAKE THIS MAN

WITH US FOR QUESTIONING,

BUT HE WON'T BE HARMED, ALL RIGHT?

Narrator: ATROCITIES ARE COMMITTED BY BOTH SIDES.

30,000 AFRICAN CIVILIANS ARE KILLED.

WHITE RHODESIANS ARE ALSO VICTIMS.

48,000 DECIDE TO LEAVE.

MANY MOVE TO SOUTH AFRICA.

[CHEERING]

Narrator: APRIL 1980.

THE WAR IN RHODESIA IS OVER.

ROBERT MUGABE'S ZANU PF PARTY HAS WON THE COUNTRY'S FIRST FREE ELECTIONS.

[CHANTING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

BRITAIN'S EMPIRE IN AFRICA HAS GONE.

Narrator: AS LEADER OF INDEPENDENT "ZIMBABWE,"

MUGABE EXTENDS A "HAND OF FRIENDSHIP"

TO THE 100,000 WHITES WHO CHOOSE TO STAY.

Mugabe: OPPRESSION AND RACISM MUST NEVER AGAIN FIND SCOPE

IN OUR POLITICAL AND SOCIAL SYSTEM.

IT COULD NEVER BE A CORRECT JUSTIFICATION

THAT BECAUSE THE WHITES OPPRESSED US YESTERDAY WHEN THEY HAD POWER,

THE BLACKS MUST OPPRESS THEM TODAY.

[SINGING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

Mugabe: LONG LIVE OUR INDEPENDENCE.

Man: ♪ LONDON IS THE PLACE FOR ME ♪

♪ LONDON, THIS LOVELY CITY ♪

Narrator: AS THOUSANDS LEAVE BRITAIN FOR THE WHITE COMMONWEALTH,

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR WORKERS FROM THE CARIBBEAN

TO HELP BUILD THE POST-WAR ECONOMY.

BY 1962, OVER 250,000 WEST INDIANS HAVE ARRIVED IN BRITAIN,

TEMPTED BY THE PROMISE OF WORK AND A BETTER LIFE.

♪ I AM GLAD TO KNOW MY MOTHER COUNTRY ♪

Narrator: JAMAICAN POET, LOUISE BENNETT:

Bennett: WAT A JOYFUL NEWS, MISS MATTIE,

I FEEL LIKE ME HEART GWINE BURST.

JAMAICA PEOPLE COLONIZIN ENGLAN IN REVERSE.

♪ LONDON, THAT'S THE PLACE-- ♪

Bennett: DEM A POUR OUT A JAMAICA,

EVERYBODY FUTURE PLAN IS FE GET A BIG-TIME JOB

AN SETTLE IN DE MOTHER LAN.

♪ TO LIVE IN LONDON, YOU RARELY... ♪

♪ BECAUSE THE ENGLISH PEOPLE ARE VERY MUCH...♪

Narrator: BUT THE GOVERNMENT'S "OPEN DOOR POLICY"

AWAKENS PREJUDICE WITHIN MANY BRITONS.

REPORTING FOR THE "KINGSTON STAR," RICHARD WEST:

West: AT WATERLOO STATION ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON,

A POLICEMAN WATCHED THE HUNDREDS OF WEST INDIANS

WHO HAD JUST COME OFF THE BOAT-TRAIN.

"WELL, THAT'S THE LAST OF THEM," HE SAID WITH A PLEASED SMILE.

BUT HIS TAXI-DRIVER FRIEND REPLIED,

"TOO BLOODY LATE, MATE. THE COUNTRY'S BEEN OVERRUN ALREADY!"

Narrator: ARRIVING IN LONDON FROM BARBADOS, COLIN JEMMOTT:

Jemmott: THE ENGLISH ARE CLEVER.

THEY RAN THEIR EMPIRE BY A CONFIDENCE TRICK.

WE WERE GIVEN AN ENGLISH EDUCATION.

WE WERE TOLD ENGLAND WAS THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

WE CAME HERE, AND TO OUR SURPRISE,

FOUND YOU WOULDN'T ACCEPT US.

Narrator: MANY BRITISH PEOPLE HAVE STRUGGLED TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES SINCE THE WAR.

THEY RESENT THE GROWING INFLUX OF BLACK IMMIGRANTS.

Man: THE BRITISH WORKING CLASS FOUGHT FOR 70 YEARS AND MORE

TO DRAG ITSELF UP TO A DECENT STANDARD OF LIVING.

NOW THEY COME IN AND REAP ALL THE BENEFIT.

Narrator: A LANDLADY IN SALFORD:

Landlady: I DON'T TAKE BLACKS.

I'M SORRY FOR THE DARKIES, THAT I AM,

BUT I KNOW WHAT THE NEIGHBORS WOULD SAY.

"LOOK AT MRS. SO AND SO,

SHE REALLY HAS COME DOWN IN THE WORLD."

Narrator: MOST IMMIGRANTS ARE OFFERED MENIAL JOBS,

REGARDLESS OF THEIR TRAINING AND SKILLS.

Man: THEY WANT US TO WORK, BUT NOT ANYWHERE.

LOOK AT ALL THE WEST INDIANS IN LONDON TRANSPORT.

Second man: WHEN I LOOK AROUND THE CITY OF LONDON,

I DO NOT FIND EDUCATED COLORED MEN WORKING IN BANKS

OR AS POLICEMEN.

YOU CAN'T GET A GOOD JOB,

THE SORT OF JOB YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING.

YOU HAVE TO TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GET,

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE DON'T WANT.

Narrator: WEST INDIAN ACTIVISTS

CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE GROWING RACISM.

FROM TRINIDAD, CLAUDIA JONES:

Jones: IF ALL THE COLORED PEOPLE WERE THROWN INTO THE SEA,

IT WOULDN'T SOLVE THE HOUSING PROBLEMS OR PROVIDE ENOUGH JOBS.

ONE REASON BEHIND THE RACE PREJUDICE

IS THAT BRITAIN IS AN IMPERIAL COUNTRY.

BUT COLORED PEOPLE ARE NOW DEMANDING THEIR FREEDOM

AND EXPECT TO BE TREATED AS EQUALS.

Narrator: BUT IN 1962,

THE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT PASSES THE COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANTS ACT,

RESTRICTING ENTRY TO BRITAIN FROM WITHIN THE EMPIRE.

WEST INDIANS DUB IT "THE COLOR BAR BILL."

MANY WHITE BRITONS ARE APPALLED.

Man: IS THIS REALLY THE BEST WAY TO INTEGRATE PEOPLE?

HOW DO IMMIGRANTS ALREADY HERE FEEL TO BE TOLD,

"YES, YOU CAN STAY,

BUT WE DON'T WANT ANY MORE OF YOUR SORT"?

[PEOPLE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

Man: THESE POLICIES WILL LEAD TO EXACTLY THE SOCIAL DISASTER

THEY WANT TO AVOID.

Man: FEAR, THAT'S WHAT'S KILLING YOU LOT,

FEAR AND IGNORANCE. IT ISN'T IGNORANCE.

IGNORANT OF... [INDISTINCT]

Narrator: BUT RACIAL HOSTILITY TOWARDS BLACK BRITONS

CONTINUES TO GROW.

INTELLIGENT FOOLS, YOU LOT, YOU ARE.

...BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF MY SKIN. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS?

NOTHING. NOTHING.

Narrator: BY 1968,

THE ENTRY OF THOUSANDS OF ASIANS INTO BRITAIN,

MANY EXPELLED FROM THE FORMER COLONY OF KENYA,

PROMPTS THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT

TO PASS A SECOND COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANTS ACT.

FOR SOME, HOWEVER, THE CONTROLS ARE NOT ENOUGH.

IN A SPEECH IN BIRMINGHAM, CONSERVATIVE M.P., ENOCH POWELL:

Powell: IN 15 OR 20 YEARS,

THERE WILL BE IN THIS COUNTRY

3.5 MILLION COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANTS...

WHOLE AREAS WILL BE OCCUPIED BY THE IMMIGRANT POPULATION.

IT IS LIKE WATCHING A NATION

BUSILY ENGAGED IN HEAPING UP ITS OWN FUNERAL PYRE.

I AM FILLED WITH FOREBODING.

LIKE THE ROMAN, I SEEM TO SEE

"THE RIVER TIBER FOAMING WITH MUCH BLOOD".

Narrator: POWELL IS THROWN OUT OF THE SHADOW CABINET

THE DAY AFTER HIS 'RIVERS OF BLOOD' SPEECH.

[CHANTING] WE LOVE ENOCH POWELL. WE LOVE ENOCH...

Narrator: BUT A NATIONAL POLL SHOWS THAT 74% OF THE POPULATION AGREE WITH HIM.

[CHANTING] WE LOVE ENOCH POWELL.

Man: I THINK IT IS MONSTROUS THAT THE MAN HAS BEEN

SACKED FROM THE SHADOW CABINET FOR TELLING THE TRUTH.

WE WANT A COMPLETE BAN ON IMMIGRATION

OR WE WANT ALL POST-WAR IMMIGRANTS

SENT BACK TO THEIR HOMELANDS.

[CROWD BOOING]

Second man, voice-over: I LOVE MY COUNTRY

AND I CAN SEE IT BEING RUN DOWN BY A LOWER CLASS.

I WANT MY OWN CULTURE, MY OWN BELIEFS, WHAT I FOUGHT FOR.

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

Narrator: OSCAR HAHN, OF THE WEST MIDLANDS RACE RELATIONS BOARD:

Hahn: IF MR POWELL WANTS TO TELL MORE THAN ONE MILLION CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY

THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE COLORED, THEY'RE UNWANTED HERE,

THIS IS AN ACT OF BRUTALITY FROM WHICH THIS COUNTRY COULD NEVER MORALLY RECOVER.

Narrator: THROUGHOUT THE 1970s,

MANY COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANTS BECOME INCREASINGLY ISOLATED

WITHIN BRITISH SOCIETY.

INDIAN-BORN FACTORY WORKER RAMPAL:

Rampal: I OFTEN WONDER IN MY HEART

WHY ENGLISH PEOPLE DO NOT THINK WELL OF COLORED PEOPLE.

MY CHILDREN WILL THINK OF THEMSELVES AS INDIAN

AND WILL LIVE AS INDIANS,

BECAUSE SO LONG AS THEIR COLOR IS NOT WHITE,

ENGLISH PEOPLE WILL NOT REGARD THEM AS BRITISH.

[PLAYING MARCH]

Narrator: 1997.

AFTER 155 YEARS,

BRITAIN HANDS OVER THE RULE OF HONG KONG TO CHINA.

Man: NOW, HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE TO RUN HONG KONG.

THAT IS THE PROMISE,

AND THAT IS THE UNSHAKABLE DESTINY.

Narrator: AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT,

THE UNION JACK IS LOWERED FOR THE LAST TIME.

IN THE "DAILY MAIL," ALLAN MASSIE:

Massie: NOW IT REALLY IS THE END.

A FEW ISLANDS TOO SMALL AND POOR TO MANAGE ON THEIR OWN

MAY STILL BE COLORED PINK ON THE WORLD'S MAP,

BUT WITH THE RETURN OF HONG KONG TO CHINA,

THE LIGHTS OF THE EMPIRE HAVE BEEN EXTINGUISHED.

WHAT THEN IS THE LEGACY?

Narrator: THE 20th CENTURY SAW THE BRITISH EMPIRE REACH ITS GREATEST EXTENT AND MIGHT.

BUT 2 WORLD WARS WEAKENED BRITAIN'S POWER.

IN JUST 20 YEARS,

MOST OF THE EMPIRE WAS HANDED BACK TO ITS PEOPLE.

Man: JOMO KENYATTA.

Narrator: MANY OF THOSE WHO SERVED THE EMPIRE

ARE PROUD OF THE LEGACY THEY LEFT BEHIND.

DIPLOMAT'S WIFE, JOAN ALEXANDER WAS IN AFRICA FOR 10 YEARS.

Alexander: I KNOW THE POPULAR IMAGE OF OLD COLONIALS IS

GIN-SWILLING SO-AND-SOS,

BUT IT WASN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL.

I HONESTLY FEEL THAT WE WERE DOING SOMETHING.

WE FELT WE WERE MAKING A CONTRIBUTION TO THE COUNTRY.

THE GROWING GENERATION SHOULD SEEK OUT THOSE COLONIAL MEN AND WOMEN

WHO HAVE A TALE TO TELL,

BECAUSE, WHETHER THEY LIKED IT OR NOT,

THEY FOLLOWED THE FLAG AND DID THEIR DUTY.

Narrator: EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY, SPORT, LAW AND DEMOCRACY.

ALL ARE POSITIVE LEGACIES OF EMPIRE.

COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES

WHICH ONCE OPPRESSED THEIR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

ARE STRIVING TO REDRESS THE WRONGS OF THE PAST.

IN 1992, AUSTRALIA'S PRIME MINISTER, PAUL KEATING

ACKNOWLEDGED THE SUFFERING OF THE ABORIGINES.

[APPLAUSE]

WE TOOK THE TRADITIONAL LANDS

AND SMASHED THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIFE.

WE BROUGHT THE DISEASES AND THE ALCOHOL.

WE COMMITTED THE MURDERS.

WE TOOK THE CHILDREN FROM THEIR MOTHERS.

WE PRACTICED DISCRIMINATION AND EXCLUSION. [APPLAUSE]

IT WAS OUR IGNORANCE AND OUR PREJUDICE.

Narrator: BUT THE NEGATIVE LEGACY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

STILL BLIGHTS THE LIVES OF MANY IN THE FORMER COLONIES.

IN 1947,

BRITAIN LOST ITS GREATEST POSSESSION, INDIA.

AMITABH PAL:

Pal: AS THEIR FINAL ACT BEFORE RELINQUISHING COLONIAL CONTROL,

THE BRITISH DECIDED TO DIVIDE INDIA.

THE RESULT WAS A HUMAN CATASTROPHE.

INDEPENDENT INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS LEGACY OF PARTITION.

Narrator: IN JANUARY 2002,

PEOPLE FLEE ACROSS THE BORDER ONCE AGAIN,

AS INDIA AND PAKISTAN FIGHT OVER THE POSSESSION OF KASHMIR.

BRITISH JOURNALIST PETER PRESTON:

Preston: NEW DELHI AND ISLAMABAD

ARE LOCKED IN A TIME WARP OF HALF A CENTURY AGO.

ONLY THE NUCLEAR WARHEADS IN THEIR ARSENALS ARE NEW.

KASHMIR IS THE WORLD'S MOST PUNISHINGLY FUTILE CRISIS.

50 YEARS ON, THE MESS THAT WE BRITS LEFT BEHIND

RETURNS TO HAUNT US ALL.

[SHOUTING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

Narrator: 20 YEARS AFTER RHODESIA'S INDEPENDENCE,

ROBERT MUGABE HEADS A REPRESSIVE REGIME IN ZIMBABWE.

HIS "WAR VETERANS,"

SOME FORMER GUERRILLAS FROM THE SEVENTIES WAR OF INDEPENDENCE,

ARE SEIZING LAND FROM WHITE FARMERS.

Mugabe: THE LAND IS OURS.

WE ARE NOT PART OF BRITISH EMPIRE.

WE ARE NOT AN EXTENSION OF BRITAIN.

SO, MR. BLAIR, HANDS OFF, PLEASE.

Narrator: FARMER, CATHY BUCKLE, MARCH 2000:

Buckle: DOZENS OF FARMS HAVE BEEN INVADED

BY HUGE CROWDS WIELDING AXES AND STICKS,

SHOUTING AND SINGING AND DEMANDING LAND.

[SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] [ALL SHOUT IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

WE WILL REMAIN HERE TILL WE DIE.

[ALL SHOUT IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

Buckle: MY INITIAL REACTION WAS TO GET OUT,

EVACUATE THE FARM.

BUT HOW DO YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO WALK OUT ON YOUR LIFE,

YOUR HOME,

EVERYTHING YOU HAVE WORKED FOR,

ALL THE PEOPLE THAT DEPEND ON YOU?

[SINGING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

Narrator: BY 2002,

95% OF WHITE FARMS HAVE BEEN SEIZED BY MUGABE'S FORCES.

BUT THE LEGACY OF EMPIRE IS MOST EVIDENT IN BRITAIN ITSELF.

IN 50 YEARS, THE FACE OF BRITAIN HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED.

BRITAIN'S MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY EMBRACES PEOPLE, CULTURES, AND RELIGIONS

FROM ALL OVER THE FORMER EMPIRE.

BUT SOMETIMES THIS DIVERSITY IGNITES RACIAL TENSION.

[GUNSHOT]

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

IN THE SUMMER OF 2001,

VIOLENT RACE RIOTS BETWEEN WHITES AND ASIANS

FLARED IN BRITAIN'S NORTHERN TOWNS AND CITIES.

[SIREN WAILING]

[INDISTINCT SHOUT]

Narrator: IN BRADFORD, MANAWAR JAN-KHAN:

Jan-Khan: THE EMPIRE HAS FADED FROM THE SUBCONTINENT,

BUT WITHIN OUR STREETS, THE WHITE SAHIBS STILL MAKE THE DECISIONS.

WE ARE THE NEW GENERATION OF ASIAN YOUNG PEOPLE,

BRITISH CITIZENS BORN AND BRED,

FREE FROM THE SHACKLES OF EMPIRE,

YEARNING TO BE GIVEN FAIR AND EQUAL TREATMENT.

Narrator: TODAY, WHITE, BLACK, AND ASIAN BRITONS

SEARCH FOR A NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY WITHIN EUROPE.

THE PREJUDICES OF EMPIRE ARE FINALLY FADING.

OXFORD PROFESSOR, TAPAN RAYCHAUDHURI:

Raychaudhuri: OF COURSE THERE ARE PROBLEMS

WHEN PEOPLE FROM VERY DIFFERENT CULTURES COME TO LIVE TOGETHER.

THE PICTURE 50 YEARS AGO WAS VERY DIFFERENT.

BUT THE PROBLEM TODAY OWES MORE TO DEPRIVATION

THAN TO INTOLERANCE AND CULTURAL BIGOTRY.

IN MY EXPERIENCE,

THIS IS THE MOST TOLERANT SOCIETY IN THE WORLD.

I AM DEEPLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE

OF MULTICULTURAL BRITAIN.