Mohamed at Eton, A film by Shehani Fernando

03 March '13

Al Jazeera English Presents:

WITNESS: MOHAMED AT ETON

In September 2010, 16-year-old Palestinian refugee Mohamad Fahed arrives at London’s Heathrow airport and is taken to Britain’s most prestigious private school, Eton College. Here, thanks to an all-expenses paid scholarship, he will spend the next two years, adopting the mantle of a public schoolboy in an environment that is largely unknown, even to the British.

Mohamad is a charismatic and thoughtful boy whose life so far has been spent in the Al Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Mohamad’s dream is to become a genetic engineer, but as the third generation of his family to be born in exile, with few educational or job opportunities guaranteed, this dream seemed destined to remain unfulfilled. Winning the scholarship, however, will open up his life in ways he cannot yet imagine.

Al Jazeera English’s Witness follows Mohamad through his first year at this extraordinary school – as he gets to grips with the unique uniform, tailcoats and starched white collars, and adapts his taste buds to the very different food served in the school canteen, while dealing with the inevitable homesickness and undertaking the process of making new friends among the privileged college students.

Filmmaker: Shehani Fernando | 2011

 

Courtesy of Al Jazeera English. Click here to read the full article.