ONE campaign – Could you forget everything you ever learnt? – words Alan Woods

How much do you value your own education? We take it for granted these days, being able to read and write and do simple mental arithmetic and much more besides. What if all this knowledge though was taken away from us?

Well, watch and see this literally happen to a group of volunteers who have taken part in this video for the campaign group ONE.

People from all walks of life including doctors, students, parole officers and teachers are hypnotised. They are led to believe that they are now illiterate and are then asked to try to carry out some basic tasks such as reciting the alphabet, telling the time or even just writing their own name.

You can see their surprise and frustration as they try to undertake tasks they usually can without any problem. A playwright can’t even read her own play – a Doctor can’t read the name of a drug that he prescribes usually every day. The huge importance of their education is brought home to them and to us the viewer as everyday life is brought to a halt as the knowledge they have amassed is taken away from them temporarily. The video has been produced to give us an insight into what it would be like to be without an education. Sadly this situation is faced by millions of refugees throughout the world as they are forced to flee war, famine and oppression.

The ONE Campaign film also wants to encourage people to sign a petition to put education at the forefront of the current UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants as well as President Obama’s Leaders’ Summit on Refugees. You can play your part and sign the petition here.