12 Years A Slave, 12 Years Surviving

I will admit that I am yet to watch Steve McQueen's '12 Years A Slave.'

However, I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments and recognition of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o. There is a huge difference between role-playing and acting. I'd like Kristen Stewart to start taking notes, now. I have seen a number of previews and I admire the compelling story of Solomon Northup. I commend Steve McQueen for his critically acclaimed film and addressing the role of slavery in America's history.

As much as I would love to watch '12 Years A Slave,' the misfit in me is slightly scared of experiencing uncontrollable anguish and possibly an anxiety attack. I was close to giving up the ghost as I watched, 'The Passion of the Christ.' It would be easy to look at slavery as an unutterable word, but it existed and people experienced unfathomable humiliation and degradation. The thought alone sends shivers down my spine.

It is hard to grapple with the existence of slavery, particularly because it was one of the many streams of capitalism that built many core countries of today. The Transatlantic slave trade was never set up to develop Africa, and subsequently it experienced an irreplaceable loss of its people. Much like 9/11 it is impossible to forget the existence of slavery. '12 Years A Slave' is a stark reminder of the inhumanity of humanity.

It is also a reminder of how easily we interpret films of this magnitude and sweep it under the rug. I hope "12 Years A Slave, " won't easily be digested as one of the great American films, but employs us to tackle and address current social injustices happening worldwide. Films like '12 Years A Slave,' evoke a call to action and it is Oscar worthy in my book.