Rainbow Nation's slow fade

12 April 2016 - 02:46 By Azizzar Mosupi

"I don't believe in the rainbow nation, the rainbow nation to me is a fallacy, because it does not exist". The hour-long film looks at racism, gender, politics and education in the new South Africa.In light of the recent university protests the film hones in on the stories of five students of different ethnicity and strives to uncover what it means to each of them to be a young South African in the current times.The documentary is directed by Lebogang Rasethaba and produced by Allison Swank."When MTV approached me," said Rasethaba, "I thought it would be a good time to do the film, given the way things are in the country right now."As a filmmaker, I'm interested in using art to reflect the times that we live in."On the documentary's official trailer, another contributor is heard saying: "We talk about 1994 as this momentous point in our country's history, but we didn't change anything really, we just, kind of, added blacks."While the film has race as the dominant narrative, Rasethaba said it should be thought of as a "straight black-and-white debate".He said: "Race is not a big monster that lives in the hills somewhere. It's about different lines of power that intersect and how that affects different people."Swank said: "I think what is most important is the self-reflection that [the film] has offered."Through hearing other people's stories, you realise your own lens [through which you see the world] and your positioning in the world."I'm ready for people to see it and to have the conversation going."Facebook users have already begun to weigh in on the trailer and the topics to be explored.Neo Tshoose said: "I mean my issue has always been that - let's be honest, apartheid ended, NOT Racism."The hate is still there - and other groups still feel superior to the other!"Jason Ja, on the other hand said: "Now we have propaganda on DStv as well! Awesome. Make the country smaller and smaller for whites. What f*****g crap!"The trailer, posted on April 6 on Facebook, has garnered 24 comments and 85 shares...

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