September 3, 2010 – Have you heard from Johannesburg?, a documentary about the story of the international solidarity movement that helped end apartheid will air on SABC 2 from September 5, 2010.
The seven-part series will be screened on SABC at 9:00pm every Sunday until October 17, 2010.
The series, directed by Connie Field, chronicles the international anti-apartheid solidarity movement that was key to mobilising international opposition to the apartheid government.
The film takes viewers outside South Africa to hear the story of the brave men and women who banded together to generate worldwide citizen action which led to the isolation of the apartheid government.
The series has received outstanding reviews from publications as diverse as ArtForum and The New York Times.
“This brilliant series on the most important international social justice movement of the 20th century is a landmark work of global significance,” said Professor Clayborne Carson of Stanford University.
“More compelling than any fictionalised movies on the subject. The number of impressive individuals that Field has assembled to flesh out this story is astounding … The figure who stands out as the blood, guts, and mind of the movement … is Oliver Tambo. Shown in rare interview footage, he emerges as a dynamic leader of impressive intellect and courage,” said a review in ArtForumM.
“Like The Battle Of Algiers, a 1966 film about the violent struggle against French colonial rule in Algeria, Have You Heard From Johannesburg? functions almost as a manual on how to topple an unjust regime,” said a review in The New York Times.
Here is a short synopsis on each episode:
September 5, 2010: Road to Resistance As the UN adopts the Declaration of Human Rights, South Africa heads in the opposite direction and implements apartheid. A mass movement is born, then crushed, and Nelson Mandela is jailed for life.
September 12, 2010: Hell of a Job The future of the movement is on the shoulders of Oliver Tambo, who escapes into exile and begins a 30-year journey to engage the world in the struggle to bring democracy to South Africa.
September 19, 2010: The New Generation Youth in South Africa and around the world are next to join the growing movement against apartheid, and the brutal suppression of a youth uprising in Soweto galvanises public support for sanctions against South Africa.
September 26, 2010: Fair Play Athletes and activists around the world hit white South Africa where it hurts: on the playing field. The sports boycott pushes apartheid South Africa out of international sporting competitions, isolating it in an area of passionate importance.
October 3, 2010: From Selma to Soweto African Americans alter US foreign policy for the first time in history, successfully pressuring the US to impose sanctions and politically isolate Pretoria.
October 10, 2010: The Bottom Line International grassroots campaigns against Polaroid, Shell, Barclay’s, General Motors and others doing business in South Africa economically isolate the apartheid regime and become the first successful grassroots effort to use economic pressure to help bring down a government.
October 17, 2010: Free At Last An uprising in South Africa becomes the final blow in the cumulative world effort to topple apartheid. Nelson Mandela becomes a household name as the campaign to free him ignites a worldwide crusade.