Compelling new historic film documentary to premiere at Constitution Hill
JOBURG - New film exhibition titled Promises and Lies: The ANC, Exile and the Project of Freedom, raises provocative questions. The film premieres at Constitution Hill in Braamfontein on 4 May.
Ever wondered what the recipe for building a great nation is? Wonder no more as the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Visual Identities in Art and Design Research Centre (VIAD) attempts to answer this question.
On 4 May, a never-before-seen historically provocative multimedia exhibition programme that combines rare historical photographs of political exile and a new documentary film will premiere at Constitution Hill’s Old Fort Prison Cells. Promises and Lies: The ANC, Exile and the Project of Freedom will offer viewers the opportunity to revisit the past in light of a politically charged present.
According to organisers, by unveiling a series of photographs shelved for over 25 years, the exhibition will present a unique opportunity for the public to encounter images of ANC members living in exile in Zambia and Tanzania as captured by award-winning British photographer Laurie Sparham in 1989 and 1991.
Curator and filmmaker, Dr Siona O’Connell, will present these works, which chronicle the everyday experiences, behind-the-scenes moments and diplomatic encounters of former exiles such as Thabo Mbeki, Chris Hani, Joe Slovo and Jacob Zuma, in the contemporary.
Accompanying the exhibition is a thought provoking documentary directed by O’Connell, titled Promises & Lies – Fault Lines in the ANC, which considers the trajectory of the ANC through the lens of this historic photographic archive. “Promises and Lies: the ANC, Exile & the Project of Freedom offers viewers a chance to consider the sacrifices of political exile and the promise of freedom that was its aspiration,” said O’Connell.
“It asks difficult questions of the ANC in an attempt to think about the shift from a party of liberation to a governing party. The film, which includes an interview with Trevor Manuel, compels us to think about links and traces aspirations and accountability. Furthermore, it poses difficult questions we must ask of history and its resonances in the present.”
An address by former Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, will be in order at the film’s premiere which will be attended by government officials, dignitaries and key political players featured in the documentary. Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) executive director, Robert McBride, who is cast in the documentary, comments on current affairs in South Africa. “Corrupt government officials don’t function on their own, so as a society we have to do some introspection and see where we need to regain our value-based identity which makes us South Africans – a miracle nation, a nation that can do, that can get things done.”
UJ’s Fada Gallery launches the historic exhibition on 11 May. O’Connell said its unveiling encourages audiences to imaginatively revisit histories of exile and of [the] liberation struggle and to critically rethink the promises of freedom they represent. “The exhibition offers a timeous platform for creative encounters and critical dialogue around collective memory, accountability and the ongoing demand for active citizenry,” said O’Connell.
Details: The documentary film will screen continually from 11 May to 3 June at the Fada Gallery during exhibition opening hours. Tuesdays to Fridays: 9am to 4 pm. Saturdays: 9am to 1 pm. Entrance is free.
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