Fear Of The Water
'Fear of the water' is a short film exploring some of the social and cultural barriers the black community faces when it comes to swimming. Figures released by Sport England show that 95 percent of black adults and 80 percent of black children in England do not know how to swim. Despite these issues as well as countless others, a report from Swim England showed that there is still pent-up demand for swimming from Black people in England.
Arriving from the perspective of a young black boy facing his own fear of the water, this piece is a small insight into the realities many experiences. In the film, the narrator addresses some of the barriers to entry for the black community in learning to swim; primarily focusing on the stereotypes and myths that continue to be perpetuated in society which in turn, have become internalised by the very community that it negatively impacts.
The film does not attempt to address all aspects of a wider issue that is deserving of a much further deep dive in itself, but it does shed light on the problem and aims to normalise these feelings of fear felt by young boys such as Rilwan, the film's protagonist.
Arriving from the perspective of a young black boy facing his own fear of the water, this piece is a small insight into the realities many experiences. In the film, the narrator addresses some of the barriers to entry for the black community in learning to swim; primarily focusing on the stereotypes and myths that continue to be perpetuated in society which in turn, have become internalised by the very community that it negatively impacts.
The film does not attempt to address all aspects of a wider issue that is deserving of a much further deep dive in itself, but it does shed light on the problem and aims to normalise these feelings of fear felt by young boys such as Rilwan, the film's protagonist.