Action on knife crime needed more than ever, says Damilola Taylor's brother

Tunde Taylor, the brother of Damilola Taylor, has said that action on knife crime is needed more than ever. He made the comments in a documentary that revisits the story of Damilola, a young boy whose killing happened more than a quarter of a century ago. The film also features Boyega, an actor and a friend of Damilola, who describes how the death affected him.

Boyega: a push to chase opportunities

Boyega said the killing of his friend had a profound effect on him. According to him, it spurred him on to pursue the opportunities available to him, which ultimately led to him achieving his dream of becoming an actor. He said Damilola's legacy to him means being able to be unrealistic with your dreams.

Boyega also recalled a poem that Damilola wrote and used to recite all the time. It includes the lines: "I will travel far and wide to choose my destiny and remould the world, I know it is my destiny to defend the world, which I hope to achieve in my lifetime." Boyega said the poem shows that Damilola had plans and did not care about the environment he was in, being more fixated on where he was going. He added: "So what's my excuse?"

Why the story is being told again

Tunde Taylor said it was "very important" that his brother's story was told again. He pointed out that a whole generation of young people were not around at the time. They now have the chance to see Damilola as a person, a young boy, with his ambitions, and to understand how the tragedy cut them short.

Tunde said that if young people think about that and about the choices they are making, "then we will have actually achieved something positive".