Powerful story of Winnie
Mandala finally comes to the movies
There is a saying among great men and it is “Behind every
great man is an even greater woman.” These
women allow their husbands to achieve their goals. One such great woman is
Winnie Mandela. Her story of love, power, struggle, personal and political triumphs,
and suffering has been for too long ignored and forgotten, but that has all
changed with this movie.
Winnie Mandela, which is the movie’s title, tells the
story of a young woman who was the sixth girl (out of how many siblings?) in
her family. She received the spiritual name of Nomzamo Winfreda Zanyiwe
Madikizela from her father. Despite the state’s refusal to educate blacks in
South Africa, she was able to earn a degree in social work from Jan Hofmeyer School in Johannesburg. She also earned an international relations degree at
the University of
Witwatersrand. Eventually she
became the first black social worker during apartheid-era South Africa. Even with all of these achievements under her belt, the
greatest was yet to come. The year of 1957 would change Winnie’s life forever!
For it was the year that she met a sharp lawyer and activist named Nelson Mandela.
This is
the part of her life that really is forgotten, but is depicted very well in the
movie. Before Winn and Nelson were married and fighting for a free South Africa,
they were just two ordinary young people who were in love and wanted to start a
family. However, all of that change when Nelson and his friends decided to take
on the apartheid government of South Africa! Police harassment started at their
wedding with police officers following their wedding ceremony from beginning to
end. Once the Mandela’s returned home, they ransacked their house. This treatment of harassment continued with
the Mandela’s until Nelson was release from prison some 27 years later!
Her
autobiographical movie clearly shows the audience how her strength , her belief
in a free South Africa, allowed her to become the power of the people, her love
for Nelson Mandela uplifted him while he remained in prison, her fierceness
kept their dream for a free South Africa alive, and her refusal to accept
defeat freed a nation! These elements are why the apartheid government of South
Africa crumbled all those years ago!
This is one
of the most powerful and inspirational movies that I have seen in a long time.
I heartily recommend every black woman to see with their girlfriends, mothers,
and daughters. So they can see, learn, become inspired and feel the struggle of
what it took for South Africa to be truly free. This is something that all
Africans and African-Americans can relate to our struggle in the United States
of getting equal rights during the Civil Rights Movement. Even to this day we
are still fighting the good fight in getting social justice, affordable
housing, equal jobs opportunities, and education in today’s world.
In essences,
Winnie’s autobiographical movie shows how much the fight is still continuing to
this day, but also how the fight for social justices and equal rights on two
different contents were fought by both great men and great women!
Reporter by Nadia Johnson
December 12, 2013
