The documentary film 'Hearts Remember' showcases personal stories of people living with dementia, bringing them to the global stage. Among the featured stories is the account of the life journey of legendary South African football coach Clive Barker, who battled dementia.
The film was shown at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in London. This was the European premiere of the documentary, which for the first time presented the experience of Barker, who suffered from frontotemporal dementia. Barker's son, John, who participates in the film, noted that the country deserved to know the reason for his father's retirement from coaching.
Clive Barker was one of South Africa's most famous football coaches, recognized for leading the Bafana Bafana team to a historic victory in the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil. He passed away on June 10, 2023, at the age of 78 after living with frontotemporal dementia.
The film 'Hearts Remember' was directed and written by Paul Modjadi and explores the realities of aging and dementia in contemporary South Africa through the personal testimonies of patients and their families. Participants include dementia rights advocate Miranda Byrd, influencer Nduduzo Kai, and his grandmother Ziti Elizabeth Khoza, who lived with dementia.
The documentary traces the path of people affected by dementia, starting from the moment of diagnosis and ending with managing this condition. The Bafana Bafana ambassador, who won the AFCON championship title, was universally loved by his players.
According to Modjadi, being invited to the AAIC 2026 conference is a huge honor, as he presents a collection of deeply moving South African stories on a topic that is rarely discussed in society. He emphasized that the project participants invited the creators into their homes to highlight the issue in communities and to remind people of the strength of love in the process of aging and mental health.
Neurologist and founder of Memorability, Dr. Kirti Rachod, also contributed to the film, stating that the documentary highlights the importance of compassion when caring for people with dementia. Rachod noted that the greatest lesson is the responsibility to care and love, even if the result is loss and grief, and that this is reflected in 'Hearts Remember' through very personal stories.
Veterans of television and cinema, Abigail Kubeka and Lillian Dubbe, also appear in the documentary, sharing their reflections on aging and mental health. The AAIC 2026 conference will take place in London and online from July 12 to 15 at ExCeL London and is considered the world's leading forum for advancing dementia science.
Previously, 'Hearts Remember' had its world premiere at the 17th International Festival of Aging (IFA) and was screened at the Human Rights Festival in Johannesburg. Modjadi, an Atlantic Scholar for Brain Health Equity at the Global Institute of Brain Health, reported that research shows that film can reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues, and the documentary's goal is to raise awareness through deep storytelling.
The filmmakers note the growing importance of raising awareness against the backdrop of population aging in Sub-Saharan Africa. Today, about 75 million people in Africa are over 60 years old, and this figure is projected to rise to approximately 235 million by 2050. According to the World Health Organization, in 2021, over 57 million people worldwide suffered from dementia, with nearly 10 million new cases registered annually. The film 'Hearts Remember' was made possible thanks to the support of the Alzheimer's Association.
Rachima Khadiyevna Aminova shares memories of people who, although deceased, remain alive through their achievements and deeds, which she believes are preserved in her memory.
Her recollections feature academics Ya.G. Gulyamov, I.M. Muminov, Kh.S. Suleymanova, Kh.M. Abdullaev, and U.A. Arifov. Aminova describes these individuals as beautiful personalities radiating kindness, understanding, and will. Her relationships with them ranged from familial and friendly to professional.
Kh.S. Suleymanova holds a special place in her memories. Aminova recalls first meeting this woman, impressed by her articles and innate aristocracy. Despite lacking ambition or a sense of superiority, Suleymanova maintained a certain distance from interlocutors.
A native of the Andijan region, she progressed from a simple family background to an Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic, holding positions as Minister of Justice of the republic and Head of the Supreme Court of the Uzbek SSR. Relationships that began officially gradually evolved into friendships. In a friendly setting, Suleymanova revealed herself as a dreamy and subtle woman with a sense of humor, despite having experienced the dark sides of human nature in the course of her official duties.
She possessed deep mercy, which she showed even to those sentenced to harsh penalties. Suleymanova understood the dual nature of justice, recognizing that the triumph of fairness often involves the sorrow of the condemned's relatives.
Academician Kh.S. Suleymanova meticulously remembered all her cases and was genuinely pleased when she managed to mitigate the punishment of defendants or reduce prison terms, which she considered a rare quality for the difficult years of the 1960s and 1970s.
She actively worked on restoring historical truth regarding the repressions of the 1930s, helping to clear the names of individuals such as A. Ikramov, F. Khojaev, and T. Riskulov. Khadicha Sulaymanovna Suleymanova (1913–1965) was a Doctor of Juridical Sciences, a professor, and an Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, as well as Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Uzbek SSR.
Born in 1913 in Andijan, she graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Tashkent Institute of Soviet Construction and Law named after Jahon Abidova in 1935. From 1935 to 1938, she worked as a people's judge and a member of the Supreme Court of the Uzbek SSR. In September 1938, she enrolled in postgraduate studies at the Moscow Law Institute, and on July 20, 1945, she defended her dissertation, becoming the first Uzbek woman to receive an academic degree in law on the topic 'Criminal Legislation of the Uzbek SSR during the period of military intervention and civil war.'
From September 1945, Kh. S. Suleymanova held the position of associate professor and head of the Department of Criminal Law at the Tashkent Law Institute. From 1948 to 1950, she completed an internship at the Institute of Law of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, and in December 1950, she defended her doctoral dissertation 'The Origin and Development of Soviet Criminal Law in Uzbekistan,' receiving the title of professor in 1952.
In September 1954, she was appointed rector of the Tashkent Law Institute, and in December of the same year, she was awarded the title 'Honored Scientist of the Uzbek SSR.' After the reorganization of the institute into the Faculty of Law of the Central Asian State University (CASU) in 1955, she continued to work as dean and head of the Department of Criminal Law. In 1956, Khadicha Sulaymanovna Suleymanova was elected a full member of the Academy of Sciences.
From 1956 to 1958, Academician Suleymanova served as Minister of Justice of the Uzbek SSR, and from 1964, as Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Uzbek SSR. She also served as chairman of the legal commission under the Council of Ministers of the Uzbek SSR and as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR from 1959 to 1964.
In the scientific and pedagogical sphere, she collaborated with Academician I.M. Muminov, participating in the transformation of the Department of Philosophy and Law at the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR into the Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR in 1958, where she headed the department of law. Her research focused on the development of criminal law in Uzbekistan and the role of councils in managing the national economy. Among her works is the three-volume book 'History of the Soviet State and Law of Uzbekistan,' prepared jointly with A.I. Ishanov and other scholars.
Under her guidance, the first textbook on criminal law in the Uzbek language was prepared and published. Academician Suleymanova acted as the official opponent for several candidates of sciences, including Sh.Z. Urazaev (1962) and A.A. Agzamkhodjaev (1964), and consulted M.Kh. Khakimov during his doctoral dissertation defense.
She participated in the creation of the new 'Regulation on Advocacy of the Uzbek SSR' (1961) and contributed to the development of laws on judicial organization, criminal, criminal procedure, civil, and civil procedure codes of the Uzbek SSR, while serving as Minister of Justice and head of the legal commission. Furthermore, she initiated the creation of the Research Institute of Forensic Expertise based on the Tashkent Scientific Criminalistics Laboratory under the Ministry of Justice in 1958.
Khadicha Sulaymanovna participated in international events: the III International Congress of Sociologists in Amsterdam (1956), the II UN Congress in London (1960), the VII MAJUD Congress in Sofia (1960), as well as conferences in Cairo (1961), Tokyo (1961), and Prague (1962).
In 1964, at the invitation of the women's organization Ceylon Lanka Mahila Samiti (LMS), she led the delegation of the Soviet Committee of Women on a tour of the country. The government highly appreciated her activities, awarding her the title 'Honored Scientist of the Uzbek SSR' (1954), two 'Badge of Honor' orders, the medal 'For Labor Valor during the Great Patriotic War,' and certificates from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR.
Academician Suleymanova died on November 26, 1965, after a long illness and was buried in Chigatay Cemetery. Her name is immortalized in the Research Institute of Forensic Expertise and one of the central streets of Tashkent.
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