Clementine Mosimane in a scene from the movie Poppie Nongena. Picture: Supplied
South Africa's journey to freedom is a story worth telling and luckily over the years there have been several movies, documentaries and dramas that have shed light on the road to freedom.
South Africa celebrates 28 years of freedom this Freedom Day, April 27 and since it’s a public holiday, what a better way to celebrate your freedom than by indulging in content inspired by South Africa’s rich stories.
The stories have certainly been captivating and have been great adaptations of South Africa’s history.
Here are four offerings that will get you thinking about how far we have come as a rainbow nation.
Kalushi
Thabo Rametsi (Blood Psalms, Amandla) stars in Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu, which traces the struggle icon’s journey from an ordinary schoolboy to activist and freedom fighter.
The film won Best Film at the Luxor African Film Festival and three craft SA Film and Television Awards (Saftas).
Rametsi was also named Best Actor at the BRICS Film Festival for his performance opposite the likes of Pearl Thusi, Safta Lifetime Achievement winner Gcina Mhlope, and Safta winner Louw Venter.
Poppie Nongena
This tells the moving true life story of the title character, a domestic worker desperately trying to keep her family together while navigating the day-to-day struggle against inhumane government pass laws in 1970s South Africa.
Clementine Zita (Clementine Mosimane) won Best Actress at both the Saftas and Silwerskerm, where Poppie Nongena took home 12 awards, including Best Film.
Anna-Mart van der Merwe also won the 2020 Safta for Best Supporting Actress, and Poppie Nongena also won Best Picture at the BRICS Film Festival in Russia.
Skin
This is the multi-award-winning true story of a black child born to white parents in 1950s apartheid South Africa.
Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo (Mrs Mandela, Hotel Rwanda) received a 2010 Black Reel Award for her starring role in Skin.
The acclaimed and moving drama earned Tony Kgoroge a Safta nomination for Best Supporting Actor,
How To Steal A Country
The controversial documentary is well worth watching this Freedom Day. The Rehad Desai documentary shines a spotlight on a defining moment in South Africa’s recent history: the rise and fall of the Gupta family.
One can’t help but not think about the Gupta family when it comes to the country’s history – they have been at the forefront of several political scandals in recent years.
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