Last weekend I took my daughter to go see Hidden Figures (which was INCREDIBLE) and worthy of its own blog post, but I have to say I was already in tears before the movie even started because the trailer for A United Kingdom played...
Looks incredible right?! So I have never heard this story before, but it is the true story of Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams. Seretse was Botswanan and an Oxford-educated student prince. Ruth was an English middle-class clerk. In 1948 they were married despite all of the obstacles and outrage it caused. Their relationship became the focus of a crisis between Britain and Botswana’s neighbour South Africa, which was about to introduce apartheid.
Seretse Khama with his English wife Ruth, and their two children Jacqueline and Seretse Jr in September 1956
The union was opposed by both families. Seretse was chief in waiting of the Bamangwato tribe and had been sent to London to study law and then was to return home and marry a woman from his tribe.
The British government and the uncle ended up joining forces to demand that Seretse give up his white wife, or quit his tribal lands and leave his homeland.
As Amma Asante, director of A United Kingdom, said: ‘They were sent into exile because of their forbidden love.’
British officials insisted he give up all claims to the chieftainship.
When he refused, he was told he would be banished from his homeland for five years.
There was an outcry and political supporters formed a committee to take up Seretse’s cause.
Ian Khama, current President of Botswana, son of Seretse and Ruth
The couple went on to have a daughter and three sons. Their son Ian is now President of Botswana. Both Seretse and Ruth have now passed, but from the trailer it certainly looks as though British acting duo David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike have done an incredible job of capturing their love story.
Oyelowo said that he was attracted by the ‘epic nature of the love story, and the backdrop of the British empire, and what it was like to be a king in Africa just as apartheid was being signed into law in South Africa’. There is already Oscar nomination buzz about his performance. He was certainly snubbed in my opinion for portraying MLK in Selma.
It is wonderful to see a diversity of love stories being displayed on screen, of course Loving being most recent, and now A United Kingdom slated to be released on February 10th, 2017.
David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike are portraying the pair on screen
I hope everyone goes out and supports this movie, the multiracial community in particular! What a wondeful love story to share with the world.
