Goodbye Bafana

1. In general, what did you like and dislike about the film?

I like the history of Gregory, I think is very interesting how the director shows the guardian of Mandela, is like he tried to make more human the figure of this man. I don’t know if this story was real, but I ask myself why the director make a film not real?, specially if the Mandela figure is mentioned all the time.

To be honest, I don’t like the movie in general, the life of Gregory was so terrible, is very shocking how he lived and how their family was in danger only because he tried to treat a person like a human. Also is very confusing for me the relation between Nelson and Winnie, because in the last movie they relationship was so different, for example, they don’t touch and much less kiss each other, and in “Goodbye Bafana” they look like a normal couple, like the prison don’t make changes in their marriage.

2. Who was the character you liked the most and the character you liked the least in the film? Why?

I really hate Gregory’s wife, because in the beginning she was, and I sorry for my language, like a bitch, I can’t understand how exist people like her, who treats “black people” like garbage and she not even questioned that. When the movie is drawn on her character evolutioned, and I don’t believe in God, but THANKS GOD.

Another character who really hate was the fellow of Gregory in the office where they censored the letters for the prisoners, for people like him the world not evolucionate fast, for people like him the society perpetuate a system based in the superiority of small groups in relation with a big poblation.

Maybe I like the character of the Gregory’s daughter, because she questioned the laws, the violence and repression since she was a kid, and that means we don’t born hate someone else, we start hate when the society and her culture is imposed, and nobody cares what are the things to imply this, specially if you are a beneficiary.

3. How do the versions of James Gregory, Nelson Mandela, and Winnie Mandela compare between  Goodbye Bafana and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom?

“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and “Goodbye Bafana” are two differents movies, because the figure of Mandela was different, in the sense of which are the personalities I could see, in the first film Nelson was a revolutionary, a politician, and a pacifist, in the latest film only I could see a man aislate of humanity, and maybe a few remains of their way of thinking about the armed struggle.

In relation with Winnie, I feel a little be disappointed, because I think she was very important to the struggle against to the apartheid, and I know this wasn’t about the struggle, but the figure of Winnie is showed only like the wife of Mandela and nothing else.

If I talk about Gregory I will say that I been impress with his life, I never thought that a guardian in South Africa knows the language of the african people, he was an example of multiculturalism, and obviously I feel so proud about the way he educate their son’s, because he tried to educated his family not like racist people, but on the contrary like normal people with differences but respect the other.

Film Review of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom:

1. In general, what did you like and dislike about the film?

The “Long Walk to Freedom” is an interesting movie, but not a good one, probably the thing I like about this is the possibility to show the injustices, the racism, the apartheid, and the struggle of South Africa. Is very important we don’t forget this conflict because the concept of race is wrong, the superiority of white people is not real, we are the same, obviously we have differences, but we can’t attack, humiliate, and hate a women or a man for their colour of skin.

By the way, I really dislike how the director of the film shows Mandela, I don’t know the situation of South Africa, and certainly I know a few things about Mandela. The movie show me two faces of Mandela, the first was I know, the Mandela like a pacifist and a revolutionary, and the second is the face of the politician, a man who manipulate the society to obtain the power. I think the figure of Mandela I has it’s was wrong, I feel dumb, because, like I say, I don’t know much about the apartheid, the struggle of South Africa and Mandela, I feel this movie open my eyes, but not in a good way.

2. In your own words, how would you compare the "various Mandelas;" the ones from the article and the one from the film?

I have to say the figure of Mandela for me, always had been the pacifist, an anti-violence man, and now, after to see the movie and read the article, I how Mandela had two personalities, I never thought this man, this kind man, will be, to the beginig a “terrorist” and after of that, after he went the prison, he became a symbol of a movement of freedom and equality for the races in South Africa. I know in general the revolutions start with the armed fight and a opposition against the system, because the system is a hegemony, and in this case between “white race” and “black race”, and also know in some occasions we don’t have another way to make visible the injuries, the unequal distribution of riches of the country, the fear, and the pain to be treat like an animal and not like a person with rights and feelings.

If I compare the Mandela of the movie and the Mandela of the article, I don’t see much difference, but evidently the function to this text permit understand the context of the ANC, the apartheid, the laws of South Africa, and the vulneration of many african people. In relation with the film, I think the director shows Mandela not to looking explicitly to this context, but he prefer the public see a man, a human, a person in love, angry, sad and nonconformist with the society that he lives.

3. What was the role that Winnie Mandela played in the film? Think about the contrast between her and the other ANC members.

It’s interesting the role of Winnie Mandela, first of all because she is a woman and is very important highlight this, because the revolutions always been by men and the figure of woman is forget. In second place I can saw in the movie she led the multitude and organize the confrontation with the police. I think the movie make a contrast between Winnie and Nelson, because she convert a symbol to the arm revolution and he transform in a symbol to the pacifist struggle.

4. How do you compare the role of Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress in the struggle against the apartheid and in the post-apartheid South Africa to the Concertación and their role in the struggle against Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship and in post-dictatorial Chile?

The role of Nelson Mandela and the ANC is very important to the struggle against the apartheid, because they are the movement that permit to the people wake up and do something for end the politics of the government. We need understand that this citizens have fear and feel insecure because the authorities repress with excessive and arbitrary violence any manifestation against to the penal system. That’s the reason why this party and this man are so famous and controversial in the struggle against apartheid.

In the post-apartheid South Africa the ANC and Mandela are essential to change the laws focus in the human rights and equality of races and promove a new economic system, but in this they can’t do so much for the unequal distribution of money in the country.

In relation with Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship and post-dictatorial Chile, we have to know before of the government of Nelson Mandela, the apartheid regimen has a good and strong relationship with Chile, because they share militar instruction for repress the people and they contraband militar army. After of the apartheid, this relationship is broke, and is very interesting how Mandela congratulate Chile in their politics for cure the wound cause of the previous government, in fact both countries have a comision for find the true about the violation of human rights call “Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación” and penalize these crimes.  

Also is important the end the apartheid in South Africa and the dictatorship in Chile because both are regimens that promove repression, violence, hate and fear in the people. I think maybe are process very complicated but necessaries to return the power and freedom to the people and we still waiting the justice works in both cases.