Post date: Jan 28, 2013 9:16:21 PM
A South African filmmaker shines a light on people living in shacks and their fight to save their homes, with a documentary film entitled "Dear Mandela".
SLEEPING GIANT - Nelson Mandela's mission to end inequality in South Africa continues to be the backbone of many organizations fighting for justice in the country.
The documentary "Dear Mandela" follows three members of the Abahlali base Mjondolo (Residents of the Shacks) as they attempt to save their homes and seek the public housing that was promised to them 18 years ago by then President Mandela.Director Dara Kell, who grew up as a witness to apartheid in a South African suburb, learned about the group in 2007 and set out to film a sort of love letter to her country.
"It's not really coming from a place of wanting to criticize. But more to question and to kind of just remind myself and my fellow South Africans of what the struggle was fought for. You know, there were tremendous sacrifices made during apartheid. So many people died, so many people dedicated their whole lives. You know, Mandela and many others spent, I mean Mandela spent 27 years in prison for a better South Africa, for aSouth Africa that was a place where human rights were respected,' she told Reuters.
Since 2005 the Abahlali baseMjondolo has been trying to stop the government from evicting shack dwellers from their homes which we erected post-apartheid.
The film follows the journey of three residents of a slum known as Kennedy Road. Mazwi, a schoolboy who is also the president of the youth league of Abahlali. Zama, an AIDS orphan who lives in a shack with six family members. And Mnikelo, a shopkeeper who is the elected spokesperson for the group.
"We definitely wanted to focus on young people. We really wanted the story of 'Dear Mandela' to focus on what the new generation of South Africa was feeling what their lives were like, what was important to them. And so Mazwi, Mnikelo and Zama really kind of gravitated towards us and us towards them just through their kind of leadership through their charisma. And just the fact that they had, just a really amazing vision of South Africa, what South Africa could be," she explained.
As filming continued the popularity of the Abahlali grew, which resulted in the government attempting to halt their efforts.
"One night when we were filming a mob of about 80 armed men came and attacked an Abahlali meeting where we were filming. And it was a really, really scaring situation. It was just, we didn't know what to do. They were looking for the leaders of Abahlali, they wanted to kill them. That night they actually bashed down, they demolished the homes of the Abahlali leaders. And we had one of the only cars around so we were kind of just helping people to escape. And I definitely did fear for my life," said Kell.
With Mandela in retirement, Kell is hoping he will see the film and be moved to help.
"The 'Dear Mandela' aspect, the idea that the film and that their work was a message to him comes out in the film. You know, it's because we can't contact him, this is kind of saying. 'Here's where we are, you know, here's how we're living. We're living in shacks, we don't have water, we don't have sanitation, we need electricity, these basic human rights. And what do we do?'"
"Dear Mandela" will make its U.S. debut on PBS on January 29 and continues to air across Africa.