INTERSECTIONALITY AND RESISTANCE
Decoloniality, as a school of thought and action, has been central to dismantling the vestiges of cultural, economic and psychological imperialism among historically-oppressed people around the world. It critiques and deconstructs widely-held colonial attitudes, white supremacist narratives and artificial social hierarchies to validate and affirm suppressed native knowledge and lived experience. Tara Moore’s directorial debut, Legacy: The Decolonized History of South Africa, is a documentary that wears its heart on its sleeve to serve up one of the most detailed and perspective-shifting depictions of the scope and scale of Apartheid as an ideology and tool of social control.
The Big Picture
The 110-minute documentary is a wide-ranging and exhaustive deep-dive into the birth of South Africa as a colony, and later, a state, and the social tensions engendered by social and economic disparities that have characterized most of its past and modern existence. The film that plays like a meticulously-curated South African history lecture takes us through the start of settler colonialism in South Africa, the dispossession of natives of their land, The Great Trek, the unification of white South Africa at the expense of blacks, coloured and Indian populations, the institutionalization of the Apartheid system and the grassroots liberation struggle it birthed and its subsequent victory in 1994. The documentary also goes as far as highlighting the current state of politics and class dynamics in post-Apartheid South Africa.
Context Is Important
This investigation into South Africa’s history provides a multifaceted and thought-provoking look at how deep the rabbit-hole of white supremacy and inter-generational disenfranchisement really goes in the country. The ideological underpinnings of the racist system of governance are explored with archival imagery of individuals like H. F. Verwoerd, the “architect” of Apartheid and other Apartheid-era politicians used extensively in the film highlighting their resoluteness in upholding their unjust policies. It also challenges stereotypes regarding race put forward by mid-to-late 18th century and early 19th century eugenicists who’s now-debunked pseudo-scientific ideas were the basis for the justification for the internalized superiority of white South Africans over their counterparts of color.
H.F. Verwoerd’s grandson, Wilhelm, in the documentary
The film also chronicles the protracted efforts of the nation’s revolutionary leaders over the decades-long fight for freedom and liberty for all. The multicultural nature of this movement is emphasized in the film. While many make the common mistake of attributing the victory of the Independence movement to Nelson Mandela and the black leaders of the African National Congress alone, some of the other key proponents of the struggle were Indian, coloured and some even white. This documentary gives them their flowers in abundance where many other documentaries of this kind have failed.
With the tag-line of the film reading “Nothing can be changed until it is faced”, it highlights the work many white South Africans are doing to reorient their thinking about race as a necessary prerequisite for adequately addressing injustices of the past and charting a way forward for all citizens of the country.
Complexity in Simplicity
In regard to the stylistic elements, the documentary is highly conventional. Its use of extensive character interviews and re-contextualized high-resolution archival footage and still images make up the majority of the narrative. It also uses a considerable amount of research-based infographics to back up assertions made by the various interviewees who feature. The documentary employs fast-paced editing that one would more likely find in history documentaries designed for a television audience unlike the languid didactic pacing of most documentaries designed for the big screen. While this is great for retention of audience attention, it leaves some vital moments in the narrative feeling glossed over.
A Must-Watch
With Legacy: The Decolonized History of South Africa set to serve as the opening feature at this year’s Durban International Film Festival, audience members should expect an enlightening experience that will certainly expand their understanding of the Apartheid power structure and gargantuan efforts needed to reverse its evils and inequities. It also offers a pulsating reminiscence of the collective effort of the different social classes of Apartheid South Africa in their bid to create an equitable society for everyone regardless of color or creed. It’s a film that must be seen by everyone regardless of how much they think they already know about this dark epoch of South African history. It’s also a stark reminder of the Steve Biko quote: “The greatest weapon in the hand of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
The film’s title card
Catch the film at the Durban International Film Festival: https://ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za/diff45/legacy-the-de-colonized-history-of-south-africa/
Screening Schedule:
18 July 19:30 Suncoast 1
22 July 19:45 Gateway 9
Author: Timothy Niwamanya
This review emanates from the Talent Press programme, an initiative of Talents Durban in collaboration with the Durban FilmMart Institute and FIPRESCI. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author (Timothy Niwamanya) and cannot be considered as constituting an official position of the organisers.
