The South African film, Poppie Nongena, which screened at Pulp Cinema as part of Toyota US Woordfees, prompted a discussion from members of the film’s cast and crew, on the modern-day relevance of the story, on 8 March.
The film is based on the 1978 novel by Elsa Joubert, Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena, which tells the true story of Ntombizodumo Eunice Msutwana-Ntsata and her struggle with the apartheid pass laws.
According to the film’s director, Christiaan Olwagen, the film encouraged contemporary audiences to engage with South African history in a way that is empathetic.
“I think a lot of us get to a point where we start to talk about apartheid in a very abstract manner. As a student learning about it, you are confronted by it in such a way that it feels very removed. And I think that by watching a film like this or reading a book like Elsa Joubert’s, they act as a bridge towards empathy,” said Olwagen.
Lead actress Clementine Mosimane, speaks about her role as Poppie Nongena, in discussion with director Christiaan Olwagen and family members of the real Poppie Nongena, Annie Schuman and Menzeki Ntsata, at the Toyota SU Woordfees on 8 March. PHOTO: Victoria O’Regan
Poppie is a character that still resonates with women today, said Clementine Mosimane, lead actress.
“For me, it was an honour to play the role of Poppie and to tell the story of one woman amongst so many. When you look at this story again, it is not only about the political regime of that time, it is also about humanity,” said Mosimane.
“This is one story that was amplified by Elsa Joubert and my mother, but there’s a lot of black women who suffered through the whole thing. So, it’s not just about one woman, it’s about a lot of black women that went through that,” said Menzeki Ntsata, the son of Ntombizodumo Eunice Msutwana-Ntsata.
“What I really liked about Poppie Nongena, was that the film’s narration of one woman’s personal story succeeded in lifting apartheid from the pages of our textbooks,” said Tarah Watts, a student at SU who attended the screening.
Watts said that the film added a human face to the facts students learn in school, and transformed South African history into something tangible, that can be felt by a new generation of students.