Private fostering is the subject of a new film, White Nanny Black Child, by award winning director Andy Mundy-Castle who hopes that it will bring the rarely discussed experiences of tens of thousands of people that have gone through it into the light. Between 1955 and 1995, more than 70,000 West Afrikan children were privately fostered by White families in the UK, although some suggest the figure could exceed 100,000 and is said to have included the likes of Seal, Kris Akabussi, Gina Yashere, John and Justin Fashanu and late rapper Ty Chijioke, in whose memory the film is made. (1)
Private Fostering, also unnervingly referred to as “farming” ocurred within the context of students from the continent placing their children with white families (in some cases after advertising them in newspapers and childcare journals) while they pursued their studies. It often started when the child was just weeks old and could last for several years if not decades. The practice declined considerably in the early 2000s after the introduction of more stringent legislation. (2)
The film features a group of adults that had been privately fostered as children. Their experiences mirrored many of those that had been through the process from those who found it positive, indicating that love trumped any cultural needs to tales of racism, trauma and extreme abuse though thankfully not death, as happned in a number of early cases in the 1960s. For many though, it left a generation of children bereft of community and confused about their identity, with some still grappling with residual trauma today. (3)
It may be worth exploring why so many parents apparently saw private fostering as the most viable option. One factor might be the colonial narrative that elevated Europe and Europeans over those they subjugated, even in post-independance. For example, the film recounts one case, after “farming” their children, the parents gleefully reporting to the family back home: “My children are with the queen.” (4)
The variety of reflections expressed in the film indicates the need for an in-depth study on what motivations were driving this process, the impact that it had, whether there were any viable alternatives and why it was so prevalent in West Afrikan families.
(1) Joel Campbell (03/10/23) ‘White Nanny Black Child’ gets TV debut. https://www.voice-online.co.uk/entertainment/2023/10/03/white-nanny-black-child-gets-tv-debut/; Ros Wynne Jones (28/09/23) Channel 5 show shines a light on the shocking lives of ‘farmed’ foster children. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/channel-5-show-shines-light-31057057; Sarah Ingram (04/10/23) Britain’s secret history: How 70,000 Black children ended up being privately ‘farmed’ to white families. https://metro.co.uk/2023/10/04/how-70000-black-children-were-privately-farmed-to-white-families-19576461/
(2) Andy Mundy-Castle (2023) White Nanny Black Child. Tigerlily Productions, Doc Hearts co-production. For example, Richard, one of the participants in the film, was fostered from 1970 to 1986; Ingram, Op. cit.
(3) Mundy-Castle, Op. cit; Wedaeli Chibelushi (15/03/21) Why thousands of West African children were privately fostered by white families. https://www.itv.com/news/2021-03-13/the-west-african-children-farmed-out-to-white-families Reports that Between 1961 and 1964 eighteen Afrikan children died in private foster homes; Ingram, Op. cit.
(4) Mundy-Castle, Op. cit
So tonight we ask the question:
Private Fostering: What is its impact?
1) Were you privately fostered? What was your experience?
2) Was this really the best and/or most viable option?
3) Was private fostering part of the colonial narrative?
4) Was it more prevalent among West Afrikan families? If so why?
Our Special Guests:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centred Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of almost 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.
Bro. Andy Mundy-Castle: The founder of Doc Hearts, is known for producing high end content that authentically represents diverse communities with immediacy, sophistication and scale.
From the award winning Lenny Henry The Commonwealth Kid (BBC1), Jimmy Akingbola Handle WIth Care( Peacock / ITV) Charlene White Empires Child (ITV), to the critically acclaimed The Fade (Netflix), Motocross Girl (BBC) and the RTS / BAFTA nominated Battyman (C4), Mundy-Castle’s work has been regarded highly as work that documents the Black experience with rigour and style.
Mundy-Castle is the owner and creator of the formats Go Green With The Grimwades, Multi award nominated Reu & Harpers Wonderworld The Black Lesbian Handbook, Britons Abandoned Playgrounds and the standout MIPCOM hit show What Did I Do Last Night?.
SUPPORT THE WEST INDIAN CULTURAL CENTRE: https://aclc.org.uk/
SIGN: Justice for Black SEN children and families. STOP failures, Save lives: https://www.change.org/p/stop-failures-in-the-system?source_location=se
SIGN: Stop Anti African racism in Tunisia – https://chng.it/5MVRbCD2sn