When the Trinidadian writer and activist C.L.R. James published Beyond the Boundary (1962), it was not just “one of the greatest books on sport and culture ever written,” it inserted the international game of cricket into critical conversations about colonialism and freedom.  In his book, James describes how cricket not only taught him lessons about race and class in the British empire, but it also shaped his thinking about freedom struggles in Trinidad and across the Caribbean.

Fire In Babylon (2010 dir. Stevan Riley), follows James’ example and details the incredible rise of the record-breaking, West Indies (Windies) cricket team that dominated world cricket competitions in the 1970s and 1980s, just as so many Caribbean nations had achieved independence from British colonial rule.  In this era, the Windies became a symbol for anticolonial  freedom and self-determination.  The team’s fearsome fast bowling became of symbol of cultural pride.

WATCH:  AN EXCERPT FROM FIRE IN BABYLON

Windies captain, Clive Lloyd led the team from being considered a joke within the international arena to becoming the dominant threat to its competitors who often treated the team with racist disrespect.  As the team’s record of victories continued to rise, fans came to understand the Windies as a symbol of defiant and empowered freedom.

GET INVOLVED:  CARIBBEAN CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Between February, 1980 and March, 1995; the West Indies Cricket Team did not lose a single Test series.