SARAFINA! review: celebrating unbreakable women

SARAFINA! will hit the big screens, this Women’s Month, more than 30 years after its first release. Celebrate the South Africa women who helped fight for freedom.

It was lightly raining on Tuesday night in Cape Town when I set off for the Labia Theatre to watch the film. Even in the cold, I was in a happy and buoyant mood. Within the first few minutes of the film, I was back in a South Africa, some 30 years ago.

SARAFINA! 31 years after its debut

The actors delivered an amazing performance. The singing is mesmerising. American actress (read: legend) Whoopi Goldberg was sublime in front of the camera.

The struggle for freedom, the boycotts, the protests, and the violence were hard to watch. It was heart-wrenching. Especially for someone like myself, a person of colour living happily in these ‘new South Africa’ days.

And according to the sentiments of former president Nelson Mandela, the film is an accurate portrayal of that time.

A release in honour of Women

Many of the scenes were painful. To put it bluntly. Gracing the screen was also a young Somizi Mhlongo, today one of South Africa’s most popular celebrities.

Earlier this year, producer Anant Singh announced that SARAFINA! would be available to enjoy in cinemas across the country from August 11. The film pays homage to the women who shaped the struggle for freedom in the country. The unyielding backbone and spirit of the struggle.

A captivating new poster coincides with the release.

On the release of SARAFINA! during Women’s Month, Singh said SARAFINA! “is known for its association with the student uprising of 16 June 1976, but what the film shows is that the youth of that era were largely supported by strong and resilient women who inspired and motivated their activism.”

SARAFINA! has been digitally remastered and additional scenes have been included ahead of its re-release next month. It is important to note – and celebrate – that it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The local film participated again in the Official Selection, but this time in the Cannes Classics Section. A whopping 31 years after its world premier at the prestigious festival.

One thing I feel sad about is that I didn’t watch the movie when it was released in the country, back in 1992. It would have been enlightening to measure if my outlook had changed, watching it in two VERY different times.

I highly recommend that my fellow South Africans, men and women make a turn at the box office. Sometimes we need to be reminded of how far on the precipice we were, to appreciate life today.