Chandler Richards- Invictus

Chandler Richards

2A

My topic was the film “Invictus,” directed by Clint Eastwood. Invictus is a movie set in 1995; a year after Mandela became president. The gist of the story is that Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) knew that the blacks and the whites South Africa were not going to be at peace with one another without something to bring them together. Mandela later realizes that the thing that would bring the two groups together is rugby, if the South African Rugby team wins, but their team sucks and hasn't won anything for a long time. Another problem is that the team, in the eyes of the blacks, represents apartheid because there are not blacks. And so, in the beginning of the movie we see them voting on whether or not to change the logo, name, and colors of their team. Mandela tells them that if he and the team can’t change then he can’t expect his country to change. He talks to Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon) who is the captain of the rugby team and tells him that he needs to motivate his team to win the world cup. Throughout the movie, we see how he and his team change and slowly realize what their role is in their country and what they are doing for their country as well as Nelson Mandela. At the end of the film, the only black man on the team leads the prayer that they say after they have won and Nelson Mandela meets Francois on the stage and give him the trophy. When he hands him the trophy, though, he says “Thank you for what you have done for your country.” Francois replies “No, thank YOU for what you have done for our country.”[1]

This was influential to South Africa and apartheid because the movie is a true story. The team was able to get everyone to put aside their differences, if even for one day, and come together in a time of extreme happiness and that is all Nelson Mandela wanted (for South Africa to be a country as a whole and not just Black South Africa and White South Africa.

I personally loved this movie. I think it gives you a glimpse at the dream of WHEN there will no longer be apartheid. I think it is very educational too, because it explains, in a way, what apartheid is and what it has done to South Africa, but also how it can be fixed. Roger Ebert (the Chicago Sun-Times) gave it three and a half stars out of four and said “It is a very good film. It has moments evoking great emotion.”[2] Jake Tomlinson, who is from Shave Magazine, said, “The strong themes of forgiveness, unity, and compassion make this much more than just a sports movie or a historical account. The movie can easily be regarded as inspirational at times.”[3]

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[1] Citation: Invictus 2009. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Perf. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Warner Bros., 2009. DVD.

[2]Citation: Ebert, Roger. "Invictus." All Content. Chicago Sun-Times, 09 Dec. 2009. Web. 20 Dec. 2013. <http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/invictus-2009>.

[3] Citation: Tomlinson, Jake. "Online Men's Lifestyle Magazine." Shave Magazine, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2013. <http://www.shavemagazine.com/entertainment/reviews/091201>.

JustineJ

                For my project, I watched a movie called ‘Skin’. It is loosely based on a true story but much of the film focuses on apartheid. A young girl, Sandra, has a rare condition called atavism which is a genetic trait that causes you to “go back” down your family line. She had African ancestors, yet both of her parents are white. As she grows up, she attends a boarding school with her brother who does not have the same condition. She is discriminated against there because she is ‘different’. There is more to the story, a ‘love, side which is irrelevant to apartheid. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to Romeo and Juliet lovers or anyone interested in the segregation times we had in America for this film is quite similar to. 

Vuyisile Mini was a protest songwriter during apartheid, and a member of the African National Congress. Due to his joining of the activist group in 1951, he was in and out of jail until his execution in 1964. He only lived to the age of 44.

                                                           

Music is a very powerful thing and can band people together or give them strength. A good song can make you want to kick some butt. Or peacefully deal with things, however things need to be done. A lot of wars and movements and basically everything is built upon music. Music can move a person personally and you can relate to it on a level. Many different people can relate to one song and all have a different reason for liking it and that’s pretty amazing. I looked around for some music by Mini, but sadly couldn’t find anything on YouTube.

However, I did find a woman by the name of Miriam Makeba, who was also a Grammy award-winning singer, and a civil rights activist against apartheid. She was the first African to popularize African music around the world. She’s most well known for her song, “Pata Pata” which was originally recorded in 1957, and released in the U.S. in 1967. It’s the name of a dance that is done in Johannesburg is pretty much all I can gather from this song and I’m cool with that. The song is really catchy and upbeat, and while only parts of it are in English, I find it to be very relaxing to listen to and would suggest others to listen to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq5S5sH1Ikk

Miriam Makeba is nicknamed Mama Africa and she is a lovely woman and I wish I could understand the words she is speaking because wow she can sing. Makeba lived till she was about 76, she had a heart attack after one of her concerts in Italy.

I know this is supposed to be about Vuyisile Mini, but the internet gave me a sign that I should look at Miriam Mikeba instead. She is a strong woman and she has a super cool story! The government took away her passport in 1960 and her citizenship and right to return in 1963. She wasn’t able to return till 1990. This is a woman that was able to make a difference and bring some attention to things. And you know, woman are really important to things in history but are often overlooked or their accomplishments are covered up or simply just don’t get as much attention.

"The Sounds of Resistance: The Role of Music in South Africa's Anti-Apartheid Movement." RSS. Student Pulse, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"Vuyisile Mini Biography." Vuyisile Mini Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"Official Miriam Makeba Website." Official Miriam Makeba Website. ZM Mikeba Trust, 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

Julia V. A1

Sharpeville Massacre

It was a bloodbath that day on March 21st,1960, in Sharpeville, South Africa.


What had started as a peaceful, non-violent protest, became a Massacre. The law of black


africans required to carry passbooks had been extended,  so that now women had too as


well. Passbooks were basically identification papers that said all the info about the Native,


and if you didnt carry one you could be fined or punished. The natives however hadn't been


to fond of this new rule so they decided to lead a protest, which ranged in 5000-7000


people, both men & women. The protest was held at a police station, and everyone


gathered outside it without their passbooks, as a way to prove they wouldn't follow such


unjust laws anymore. Shortly after the protest had started police tried to disperse the crowd


and break up the large group. When that hadn't worked police began to open fire onto the


people, anybody in the way was shot at and some killed. It is said that as many as 300


people were injured, and 69 killed. This event was influential because it started the armed


resistance in South Africa. Also when this event became internationally known, it helped


focus world wide critism on apartheid policies. In my personal opinion this was a really sad


event, but in a way it was nessecary for something like this to happen in their situation in


order for the wrong doings of apartheid to be noticed by other places. But then again this


whole thing could've been avoided if people weren't so crue, but instead fair. I think if you'd


like to further research this topic search for articles on the Web, watch video below, or


check a book out about  apartheid times from the library to learn more.


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVMPlVBm29Y&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrVMPlVBm29Y



Sources: britannica.com  africanhistory.about.com   bbc.co.uk

-Cristina G. 1A

Boer Wars- Brok Oakley

        The Boer Wars were two long hard-fought wars between the English and Boers, or Afrikaans, who were Dutch descendants living in South Africa. It took place in the Orange Free State and Transvaal, South Africa. The first was between 1880-1881 and the second occurred in 1899-1902.
        Between 1835 and 1845 Afrikaans moved from the British cape colony to the inner tribal lands where they established two independent but peaceful republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. However, the English discovered their lands to be rich with diamonds and gold which the English wanted control of as well as their greed for expansion all led to the war. There were four main battles in the first Boer War, the battles of Laingsnek, Bronkhorstspruit, and Schuinshoogte where the British took heavy losses and Majuba which was one of the British few wins but became the English rally cry during this two year war. The Boers won because their guerilla style warfare and knowledge of the terrain. The British who were not used to the mountainous land and used to a European style of war were made easy kills by the Akrikaans. The South African Republic regained it's independence and a peace agreement was made between the English and Afrikaans.
       The second Boer War between 1899-1902 was a very different story, dominated by British victories; however they had a lot of help from the Australians who had a similar style of war as the Boers and soon the British gained control of South Africa. This conflict led to the unequal discrimination between the different ethnicities and technically creating the apartheid. I think that these wars were kind of ridiculous and really just displays Britain's greed and lust for power and imperialism and resulted in the years of discrimination to come and are still continuing today.

Sources:
http://www.sahistory.org.za/south-africa-1806-1899/first-anglo-boer-war-1880-1881
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml
http://www.sahistory.org.za/south-africa-1652-1806/south-african-war-1899-1902-second-anglo-boer-war
http://www.historynet.com/second-boer-war.htm
   

Alf Kumalo- Illustrator of the Apartheid (Risper O.)

Though his name is not well known, Alfred Kumalo played a significant role in our understanding of the institution of Apartheid. The system of Apartheid started in 1948 and lasted 43 years, ending in 1991. During this time everyone in the country knew that this way of life wouldn't last. Through the lens of a camera, Kumalo was able to transport the viewer to Apartheid-South Africa, and bring awareness to this pressing issue.

Alfred Kumalo was born on September 5, 1930, in South Africa. He died last year in October at the age of 82. All throughout Alf's life, he worked with media and photography. Apartheid officially started when Alfred was in his early twenties. This occurrence gave him the opportunity to watch and document important events as they unfolded. Alfred Kumalo is a significant figure in the struggle to end Apartheid not only because he was able to see the effects of it take hold, but also because he felt a great need to do something about it. His photography generated a large response because of the way he took his pictures. 

He believed that cameras had the ability to "freeze moments in time" and chose said moments carefully. 

Unlike other photographers of his time, he took pictures of events as they happened. This style greatly increased the amount of stories that the pictures could tell and added a sense of trueness to his work. Researching Alfred's work has helped me take the issue of Apartheid and think of it as a real life event and not something that just happened in a dusty book. The pictures he took were compelling and gave a me a better view of South Africa as i am sure it did for many people. Though Alfred Kumalo is now gone, his works will last throughout the ages and continue to inspire us.

Sources: http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/alfred-khumalo

http://www.studentvillage.co.za/in-the-news/16-june-we-remember

David Goldblatt: Yassah Reed

David Goldblatt is a famous photographer in the South Africa and around the world. He is famous for taking photos of natives in everyday life. Goldblatt takes photos that tell a story of the natives' lives. He would catch everyday moments, but they were extraordinary in other ways. A picture is worth a thousand words and his photographs would tell more. Instead on simply hearing or reading about Apartheid, you could see it. The tense faces of the natives and affrikaners, their body language, and the intensity of the photo helps you to understand what is happening in that moment and what life is like for them every moment of everyday. Goldblatt has photographed through most of Apartheid starting relatively young; he did not know the he would be the narrator of a story yet to unravel and struggles yet to be realized.
" All photographers are witness... I was trying to find ways of understanding, of what you like, of who we are. Apartheid was apart of that." David Goldblatt
His portrayal of images such as the style in which he took them along with the way he developed them were all purposefully done to convey a message. He did not what the photos to be appealing, in the sense of bright color the evoke happier, lighter emotions of delight, he wanted the observers to feel what was felt when the picture was taken. The contrast of black and white was symbolic of the darkness of South Africa, the photos were never meant to be looked over superficially but they were made to make people think. Goldblatt wanted to make the pictures come alive so that the emotions felt were genuine and corresponded with the serious natural of his photos.
David Goldblatt allowed people to see Apartheid in a whole mother perspective. He showed people the life of a native to try to make them understand the consequences of the system of Apartheid.  I feel like a large factor the contributed to Apartheid becoming as oppressive as it was, was the ignorance of people. People don't pay attention to  the world around them and they didn't care. Goldblatt forced people of not only South Africa but everywhere to see it as it was. It is easy to turn a blind eye when the issue isn't shoved in you face. David put it is South Africa's view so that it could no longer be ignored. He put an emphasis on what had been played down for so long.
The reality of each ohoto plays a part in their significance in Aparthied. Some photographers try to find the beauty in the world but Goldblatt focuses on all of the pain. He has captured the pain of 100s of people through their lives and the repressive system of Aparthied that engulfed their entire civilization, so much so it was recognized as normal or even acceptable. He has captured what Aparthied  really is a cruel system of discrimination that suppressed million(and still plagues the society today) by the implementation of various racist and unfair laws. When words can't put life in perspective, the photos do.

I reccomment everyone look up his photos they are inspiring and show more that what mets the eye. I feel as if all South African photography would be an exceptional thing to look up if one would like to learn more about Aparthied because this is history behind pictures and that is what Goldblatt's photographs continue to display. 

By Yassah Reed :)

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/world/africa/david-goldblatt-photographer-apartheid/