AfriKaleidoskop meets ARTE

Südafrikas Weg aus der Apartheid

08.05.2025 | 7:00 pm CEST
Kulturhaus Neuneinhalb, Gerberplatz 1, 95445 Bayreuth, Germany

On 8^th May 2025 the Cluster of Excellence will be hosting another event within the frame of our well-received cinema lecture series AfriKaleidoskop meets ARTE at Kulturhaus Neuneinhalb in Bayreuth. 

It will be the exclusive preview screening of ARTE of the first part of the three-part documentary series Südafrikas Weg aus der Apartheid (in German, translated from the original “Free at last: Unsolved stories of Apartheid”), a coproduction of the renowned female South African film maker and actress Xoliswa Sithole (winner of BAFTA prices), and the Dutch investigative journalists Misha Wessel and Thomas Blom.  

Part one Suche nach Antworten (in German with English subtitles) will be screened and is followed by a panel discussion with Cluster scholars and Q&A session with the audience. The filmmaker Thomas Blom will be present.

The event will be recorded and made available in the event media hub of ARTE and on the Cluster’s YouTube channel.

Südafrikas Weg aus der Apartheid, Part One: Suche nach Antworten, (52 min.)

In their three-part documentary series “Free at Last: Unsolved Stories of Apartheid”, German: “Südafrikas Wege aus der Apartheid”, Dutch journalists Misha Wessel and Thomas Blom explore the horrors of apartheid and its long-term impact on South Africa. Together with a South African team led by award-winning (two BAFTA prices) director Xoliswa Sithole and production company Storyscope, they created an authentic portrayal, bringing a deeply rooted South African perspective and ensuring that black voices were heard not only as victims, but also with authority. Sithole asked important questions about the portrayal of the perpetrators and paid attention to cultural sensitivities that European filmmakers might have missed.

On 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela walked to freedom. The anti-apartheid campaigner had spent more than 27 years in prison. Four years later, he became the first black president of South Africa. In his victory speech, Mandela said, among other things: ‘We can shout it from the rooftops: We are free at last!’

In 2017, the case of murdered anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol became the focus of public attention. A court ruling confirmed that he had been killed by the police - a rare admission of guilt after 40 years in a country where many perpetrators of apartheid went unpunished. The disappointment at the lack of criminal justice up to that point was great, especially among the victims' families, who had been seeking justice for decades.

The close collaboration between the three directors resulted in a profound series that tells the stories of victims, survivors and perpetrators and makes the lasting wounds of apartheid visible. Most significantly, Free at Last was not only be broadcast internationally, but also in primetime on South Africa's flagship channel SABC 1 - a sign that the country is facing up to its own past.