Director’s Statement

The idea for Locating Liberty documentary was conceived in 2020 during height of the social unrest stemming from the George Floyd murder.  It was at this time I reconnected with my childhood friend Kwana Strong who was in the process of relocating to Ghana, West Africa. She told me about her environmentally sustainable rammed earth housing projects, and I thought this would be an interesting process to document.  Then she shared with me videos of other black expatriates like herself moving to the continent. Their stories turned on the “light bulb” to reveal the broader scope of this documentary.  This movement of black people repatriating to African countries seeking social sustainability runs parallel to the theme of environmental sustainability.

            This documentary is unique because it makes the case for expatriating by explaining the totality of the black experience. The story comes full circle from capture, to freedom, and the daily struggle to carve out a life in a hostile environment. It shows hard fought battles for equality, dignity, and justice only to be lost again as evidenced through cell phone video footage and discriminatory legislation. Now these weary soldiers are finally returning to their rightful homeland and reestablishing their life.

            Producing this documentary is a different path, but I felt compelled to make this film as a love letter to all black people to show them an alternative life that can be free of racial oppression. 

CRYSTAL KELLEY, Los Angeles, California, 2022.