Unification of South Africa

Invictus is a film that presents one of many the steps Nelson Mandela took to unite his country, South Africa. Elected into office in 1994, it was a necessity to bring everyone together; however there were some who hindered this process due to the distaste of the Afrikaner’s presence. These individuals were in favor of omitting all oppression and the Rugby team, The Springboks, is apart of this oppression with the view of being the team of White South Africa. Since Mandela has a love for the sport he chooses to stand up for the team and pushes to make it the team of South Africa. In the process of doing so he creates a relationship with the team captain, Francoise Pieenar. He talks to the team and lays out his goal of the team winning; after this the team trains hard, plays with the native children, and spins time in the prison where Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in. By advocating for the team and verbally telling them that he wants them to win, Mandela adds extreme importance on the victory for the whole country not just for one group. With the teams participation in the native side of the South African community it shows that they can be trusted and that there is kindness. The movie ended with the victory of the South African team, which was very significant for the country. The significance and importance of the victory was that it unified the country. With the support from Nelson Mandela the team was able to come on top representing all of South Africa not just one side, and with his positivity and approval he provided the native side of the country with legitimacy of the team’s existence. With the image of one who fought for the rights of his people, Nelson Mandela added importance to unity and therefor a lot of people looked up to him.

         Although Apartheid ended before Mandela was elected, there was still a mindset of the policy that still existed; in fact it still exists mentally, socially, and economically today. This is a great example of how the confinement from living a normal and fair lifestyle can affect people. Even though Apartheid ended, it’s a decade later and there is still no equality. It serves as a mental precedent, sticking to the subconscious and reminding individuals that they are nothing and it also builds hatred and resentment to the opposing group. With the knowledge that I had on apartheid, I was able to understand the reason why Nelson Mandela made it a necessity to have a unified country. If he didn’t take the necessary steps he did South Africa would have been how it was before, even though there isn’t a significant change there is a sense of unity.

         If one chooses to watch the movie, I recommend that before watching it they should have knowledge of Apartheid. This knowledge should include the affects of it, who was involved, and those who made a difference. Most importantly they should have knowledge of Nelson Mandela. It is important to know these things because the topic happens after the abolishment of the laws of Apartheid, but everything comes together when understanding Nelson Mandela’s actions.   

Makaela Johnson 2A

Resources: 

First Picture:  Whitty, Stephen. "'Invictus' Movie Review: Powerful Acting Outweighs Flaws in Post-Apartheid Tale." NJ.com. New Jersey On-Line LLC, n.d. Web. 

Second Picture: "Some Healthy Food Fun: Dinner and a Movie Invictus My Tribute to One of My Inspirations, Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013." The Gaia Health Blog. The Gaia Health Blog, n.d. Web.

Topic( "Invictus"): Invictus 2009. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Perf. Nelson Mandela. Warner Bros., 2009.