Last year I believed Rehad Desai had created a monumental documentary that every South African needed to watch in Miners Shot Down. Khalo Matabane's Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me is at the same level as Miners Shot Down - exposing the real face of SA's post-1994 condition.
The Myth and Me looks closer, raises some uncomfortable truths and questions a lot about Mandela, the reconciliation project, the negotiation settlement and Madiba's true legacy in post apartheid South Africa.
Khalo Matabane has created a name for himself with his features a State of Violence (starring fighter Fana Mokoena as BEE dude with unfinished business from the struggle haunting him), the TV series When We Were Black and the less seen but very intriguing conversations on a Sunday Afternoon.
A native of Limpopo, Khalo has shown within his work that he's not just chasing money and fame - there's always something meaningful. We follow him as he tracks down authors, journalists, activists, politicians, photographers and spiritual guides in the world to try to contrast his views on Mandela's legacy and the different interviewees who have all had some encounter with him.
The result is refreshing honesty for a change - we are not just given the usual canon rhetoric of saviour and great man but also the underbelly and shortcomings of Mandela's legacy. Hard questions are asked not only of Mandela's legacy but of how it is framed and created.
It's interesting to see voices from the margins occupying the same space as that of the Albie Sachs's of this world. So it's interesting to see contrasting views - influenced by contrasting situations and contexts on Madiba - being thrashed out on screens by some of the worlds leading thinkers and average Joe Khumalo.
Although the documentary is only 85 minutes, due to the scope and, dare i say honesty of probing, the 85 minutes feel way longer. By the end of it one is left to make up their own mind - the holes in our nations greatest narratives are poked for all to see and ponder.
I'm very aware i'm not going into the details of the documentary but i feel it's one of those that one appreciates as they watch it for themselves. I'm glad and surprised to hear that the SABC will finally be screening it in November. Do yourself a favour though and go catch it on the big screen at the Bioskope in Maboneng Precinct - i believe this is going to one of the best documentaries out of SA for 2015.
Rating :
*****
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index
* Junk **Almost bearable ***Now we cooking **** Almost perfect ***** Classic