Ahead of its February, 2019 release, Ed Accura’s documentary called “A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim” has its first trailer.
The film follows filmmaker and British hip-hop artist Ed Accura as he explores stories of black peoples’ experiences with the water and goes through his own journey of learning how to swim.
- See Also: Sneak peak of the soundtrack
Watch the trailer below:
I know so many adult black men and women who cannot swim, were not exposed to it, or have a fear of water. My mum is from Jamaica and cannot swim. My sister and I learned when we are at school so it was never an issue. But definitely growing up there was no opportunity via school to do it competitively at our inner-city comprehensive, no facilities, no role models etc. We just saw swimming as a fun pastime. I’ll definitely be interested to see his journey. I’ve done a triathlon and am keen to encourage more black people to get involved but many lose interest because they cannot swim.
I watched the trailer. And, as one who is of African American persuasion, who used to be an age group swimmer (and wanted to be just a swimmer) back when brown/black ‘dots’ weren’t popular in public swimming pools, I can’t say I am AT ALL keen on the title of this film. I truly hope the premise of this film adequately dispels/addresses the myths on why Black folks aren’t typically known to be swimmers–similar in the manner the Black surfer documentary, ‘White Wash’ did several years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4dOVnNjplk&t=5s
Gotta pull up those goggle straps first.
I am happy for this guy!
In America our individual sports are segregated NOT by bigotry but by choice, culture and economics. Cycling, Swimming, Tennis, Surfing, Triathlon, and Golf are examples of euro/asian dominance. Basketball, Soccer, Boxing, Track and Field, Football and Baseball are examples of people of color dominance. (Golf has a lot of work to do in regards to inclusion whereas the others not so much.) There is no “superiority thing” via race or culture going on. It’s choice and economics. Cycling and Golf are ridiculously expensive.
Michael Phelps has a Mediterranean/Asiatic waist; a freakishly long waist at that. His inseam is only 30 inches. Those that lived around the Mediterranean basin or west asian valleys… Read more »
Maybe swimming just requires good facilities and coaches, which are found more in affluent neighborhoods. Modern infrastructure of cities and suburbs are deeply segregated and because of that, areas with more black people tend to be poorer thus fewer facilities and instruction. In addition, we need to consider the disposable income of racial groups and see whether these groups have the income or wealth to spend on swim lessons. Lastly, representation is important. Do young black swimmers have MANY, not a few, role models to look up to in the sport. Because representation is low there is a higher barrier of entry and alienation for certain groups in certain sports. Until recently, there haven’t been many elite level black swimmers,… Read more »
Also, lets not go around sharing our personal conjectures about africans or the continent of africa.
Will definitely give this a watch.
Black men can’t swim? I give you Nesty, Jones & Metella (×2).
White men can’t jump? I give you Jonathan Edwards & Stefan Holm – The two best ‘jumpers’ the world has ever seen (imo).
I believe modern racial profiling plays a role, by both coaches and participants. Stereotypes of racial superiority in different sports has been dictating participation based on race for a long time now.
Europeans do not have a swimming gene, Africans do not have a running/jumping gene. Lifestyle, participation, socioeconomic factors etc dictate everything – Occasionally you get an ‘exception’ to the rule, and people mistake them as exactly that, an ‘exception’, when in reality they are just showing… Read more »
I really like the first-hand nature of the documentary. The fact that he’s a black man who can’t swim and is going through the adventure of learning how as an adult – that’s what sets this apart for me.
This isn’t about playing a sport. It’s about knowing how to swim if you’re life depends on it.
Absolutely, but the title is a self evident tip of the hat to stereotypes that surround black people and aquatic ability. It plays into a lot of themes in professional sport.
Well, my movie is whites can’t run. In the US blacks dominate sprint running races.
Literally the dumbest comment I’ve read on SwimSwam.
Most people know how to walk or run. Knowing how to swim is an essential life skill. The fact that so many black people can’t swim is scary. Not just black people, but everyone.
I’d like to see more off this. I am white and I didn’t learn to swim until my teens, and even now at 42 I can only do short bursts, but I love the water. One of my sorest memories is that I was bullied at school for it quite a bit. I had a black friend at school who could not swim either, and she got bullied worse than me, which I found really painful to deal with too because she was a really nice friend to have. We both stood by each other through that. She was called so many nasty names for it too, and we are still friends today.
Can’t wait to see it