Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with film Citizen King

To mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the American Language Center of the US Embassy organized a presentation of the film Citizen King at the American Cultural Center on Thursday, January 17, 2008.  The event was hosted by ALC Director Lynn Hanson Ouédraogo.  The film relates the life and activities of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the period 1963-1968.  The film was shown in English to an audience of 55, including university students, secondary school students, and professional students of the ALC among others.  The audience engaged in a post-film discussion in which they discussed the aspects of Dr. King’s life that they had not known about previously.  A number were surprised to learn that he had spoken out against US involvement in the war in Viet Nam.  Many in the audience only knew Dr. King for his work in gaining rights and equality for black Americans; they did not realize that he was expanding his fight to include poverty and economic inequalities.  The film helped them to appreciate Martin Luther King, Jr. as a man more than just an icon in that it discussed his doubts, his difficulties, and his failures, as well as his triumphs and accomplishments. The film also allowed the audience to explore the place for criticism of government in a democracy.  By some, King was considered a traitor when he criticized the US government and its policies, but many audience members agreed that sometimes to stand up against what’s wrong and to seek to right it is the sign of being the most responsible of citizens.  Audience members enjoyed this event that gave them an opportunity to use English to learn about and discuss this great American hero, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.