Jamaicans can tell you a bit about Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley or Usain Bolt to varying degrees. Outstanding personalities indeed, but what about the just as compelling icons of other nationalities? Walter Rodney is a noted champion for Pan-African liberty during the 1970’s. Ironically, he is virtually unknown among young Jamaicans despite hailing from neighbouring Guyana, a CARICOM member state. W.A.R. Stories: Walter Anthony Rodney is a well directed documentary on the heroic life of this revolutionary figure. Its authenticity derives from interviews conducted with some of Rodney’s closest friends and associates. Emotionally intense, W.A.R. Stories affects the senses like a suspense thriller. The project is the brainchild of Guyanese filmmaker and lawyer, Clairmont Chung, in partnership with Jamaican director-editor, Mykal Cushnie, Creative Director of DSE Media. Rodney spent critical years in Jamaica while attending, and later, teaching at the University of the West Indies (UWI). He was known to invite Rastafarians on campus during an era known for aggressive anti-Rasta sentiment. Eventually he was banned from Jamaica before being assassinated in Guyana. These are just some of the issues touched on by the documentary. W.A.R. Stories is set for official release in June 2010 but has been screened privately across North America, including New York, Toronto and Montreal. A number of screenings have taken place in Jamaica as well. One person, having missed the occasion in New York, purchased a plane ticket to the island in order to see it firsthand. Chung and Cushnie are currently in Tanzania where they were invited by the University of Dar es Salaam for the ‘Second Julius Nyerere Intellectual Festival Week.’ Walter Rodney himself did significant work in Tanzania while teaching at the university.