As many as 76 percent of all black boys in Baltimore fail to finish high school.
That prompted a school in Kenya to accept a group of these at-risk boys, all around 12 years old, and teach them not only academics but also how to respect themselves and others.
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Near the film’s beginning, when the boys are selected to travel to Africa, a woman from the school tells them bluntly that they have one of three futures awaiting them: jail, death, or graduation. Attending the Baraka school is a way for them to reach that third possibility.
Some of the boys adapt quickly to the new school while others find leaving the street behind more difficult.
In one scene, two of the students who had been fighting are forced to hike away from the school and set up a tent. They have to learn to depend on each other in order to accomplish the task.
And, the documentary throws the viewer an unexpected curve ball towards the end, one that shows the toughest challenge with which these youth will have to wrestle.
An interview with Bill Cosby is one of the DVD’s special features.
In it, Cosby says he relates to the children because he grew up in the projects of north Philadelphia.
He also says the film should be a wake up call to people to stand up for, care, and nurture these children.
The Boys of Baraka is available to rent.
Murphy can be reached at: [email protected]
