Het scherm als geheugen: Zuid-Afrika en apartheid
The son of two lawyers in Johannesburg, William Kentridge was exposed from his early years to images of the harsh social and political realities of South Africa. As a six-year-old, he came across photographs of the Sharpeville Massacre (1960), which his lawyer father Sydney Kentridge thought to have hidden.
The South African human rights lawyer Albie Sachs is the child of a union fighter who was defended by Sydney Kentridge. Albie Sachs is a lawyer, judge, writer, art lover and above all a freedom fighter. His activism has been brutally suppressed by solitary confinement and torture. In 1988, the military intelligence planted a bomb in his car. He lost his arm and sight in one eye, but not his combativeness. During his 25 years of exile, Sachs took part in the negotiations that led to the dismantling of the apartheid regime. After the release of Nelson Mandela, Sachs returned to South Africa, where he worked on the new Constitution.
Albie Sachs will be interviewed by Els van der Plas, general director of National Opera & Ballet and former director of the Prince Claus Fund.
Prior to this talk, two films will be screened: William Kentridge”s Johannesburg, 2nd Greatest City after Paris (1989, 12') and Abby Ginzberg's Peabody Award-winning documentary Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa (2014, 84'). The last film highlights Sachs' efforts to uphold human rights, the rapid changes in South Africa and the difficult road to democratization.
Prince Claus Fund
Based on the principle that culture is a basic need, the Prince Claus Fund”s mission is to actively seek cultural collaborations founded on equality and trust, with partners of excellence in spaces where resources and opportunities for cultural expression and creative production are limited and cultural heritage is threatened. The Prince Claus Fund is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Dutch Postcode Lottery, and private donors.
“The Screen as Memory” is one of the Fund”s Cultural Defiance events. Cultural Defiance activities provide a platform for artists, thinkers, and cultural organisations that strive for positive change in the face of conflict or extremely difficult circumstances. Cultural Defiance events are made possible with support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery. The next Cultural Defiance event is 9 July at the Prince Claus Fund Gallery with Kenyan storyteller Ogutu Muraya: princeclausfund.org
Details
Part of
William Kentridge
From 25 April till 30 August Eye presented If We Ever Get to Heaven, featuring work by the celebrated South African artist William Kentridge (Johannesburg, 1955).
Share your love for film and become a member of the Eye Society.