It is just three days before the premiere of the IMAX formatted Sarafina! movie which opens at cinemas on Friday the 11th. The much-loved Sarafina! not only highlights the unbearable conditions the students of the majority race faced during the apartheid regime, but it also highlights the strength and resilience women who were behind them had.
As we celebrate Women’s Day tomorrow, we acknowledge and salute women like Leleti Khumalo, the late Mama Miriam Makeba, the late Mama Mary Twala Mhlongo, Whoopi Goldberg, Sindi Ndlathu and many more who took part in bringing Sarafina! to life, leaving a trail of our history for generations to come.
BONA had the honour of speaking to legendary actress Leleti Khumalo who plays the lead character named Sarafina!. She shared how proud she is that the film has grown into a yearly event that is showcased every June 16th to commemorate Youth Day, as that cements our past struggles to the younger generation who are oblivious of their history.
In conversation about the representation of women in the entertainment industry, the Imbewu actress noted that women are always at the receiving end in all industries, not just the entertainment industry. She also shared that for a woman to be taken seriously, she has to work extra hard just to prove herself and prove why she deserves a seat at the top.
Speaking of working closely with the late Mama Miriam Makeba, the mother of twins gushed with excitement, expressing the level of warmth and humility Mama Miriam had. She added that Mama Miriam was a “true mother,” had a beautiful aura, and a love that was unmatched.
Leleti also shared that the reason for her connection with the character Sarafina! as well as Mama Miriam was because she too was raised by a domestic working mother who had to take care of other people’s kids and come back to take care of hers.
Leleti shared one of her Sarafina! highlights as meeting the late Tata Madiba at the premiere of the film in 1992. At the end of the newly edited Sarafina! an interview with the late legendary hero’s Tata Mandela and Tata Oliver Tambo can be seen as they walk out of the movie theatre, so do stick around until the curtain closes.
Sarafina! will be released in 28 cinemas across the country on Friday, the 11th of August, giving viewers an intense IMAX theatre experience.
