Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2014: Mandela: The Myth and Me

The face of a global movement, Nelson Mandela means many things to people from across the world, but what was it like to grow up during the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa? Director and writer Khalo Matabane shares how his own view of this iconic man evolved, along with the movement he stood for in his film Mandela: The Myth and Me.

Where often the media focuses on the deified, monk-like man, underlined with white guilt, Mandela: The Myth and Me looks to South Africa’s black majority, still struggling against poverty and a white-controlled economy. How did the man synonymous with a movement fuelled by such anger and injustice manage to consistently preach forgiveness and peace? And what happened to the flames that fuelled a nation?

This film examines not only Mandela as an icon, but his post-apartheid South Africa, and how much has really changed for the black population. Including interviews with individuals with a number of different standpoints on both Mandela and the eradication of apartheid in South Africa, the audience is encouraged to question where the man became the icon, taking into account a plethora of possible angles.

Exploring a rarely considered side of such a recognised person, Mandela: The Myth and Me looks with the eyes of those Mandela built this movement upon. Beautifully shot, this documentary incorporates the man, the myth, and the people he inspired. A refreshing examination of a political icon, this film is more than worth a watch.

Phoebe Person

Read more reviews from Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2014 here. For further information about the festival visit here.

Mandela: The Myth and Me is available on BBC iPlayer, to watch it visit here.