Week 5:Long Walk to Freedom and Selma
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom definitely gave me
good insight into South African history. I was not aware that Winnie Mandela
spent time in jail as well. This gave me a new perspective on how his role as a
political activist. Numerous people have jobs that affect their entire family,
but his decades in prison affected dozens of members of his family. It was
truly inspiring to see how his family truly cared for him as he was given more
liberty in prison and eventually released. After speaking to various peers and
teaching assistants who have already traveled to South Africa already, I have
been told that there is a huge difference in the living conditions between
white South Africans and Black South Africans. This was definitely visible in
the film to see the people who lived in townships compared to the people who
lived in nicer home.
In
the movie Selma, I enjoyed gaining perspective on how Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. had to balance being an activist, a minister, and a father. Even though he
risked spending time in jail, he dedicated his life fighting for equal rights
for African Americans. Just as in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom it was enlightening
to see the major differences between the living conditions of people of color
and white people. In both South Africa and the United States, people of color
were oppressed by white leaders. In the U.S., people from Africa were sold into
slavery and brought into the United States. In South Africa, people were
oppressed by the people who colonized South Africa.
Between
the two movements, I do see some similarities. Both continue to shock me that
they were not that long ago. When I think of extreme oppression, I think of
something that happened centuries ago, not movements that occurred in my
lifetime or my parents’ lifetime. The degrees of severity are different, but
racism continues to be a problem in both South Africa and the United States and
I sincerely hope that the problem can be combated in both countries.
Lorena, I didn't know much about Mandela's life prior to watching the movie, either. It really helped me get a grasp on more than just apartheid, which was pretty much the only thing I was familiar with before. The movie definitely showed the huge disparities between living conditions for white and Black South Africans. I think it's one thing to be told, but at some point you have to be exposed in a more realistic way, and I think the movie was a great next step for that. Our final step is to experience it in real life!
ReplyDeleteThe role of Mandela's family in the movement surprised me too! I was unaware of how dedicated they were to the movement, and it saddens me at how little recognition they get for it.
ReplyDelete