Sarafina! is the story of the struggle for freedom of non-European school children in Soweto, South Africa. The story takes place during the time of the Apartheid just before Nelson Mandela was released in 1990 and the Apartheid ended. The Apartheid was a policy of strict racial segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-whites in the Republic of South Africa (WWWebster Dictionary). Segregation and discrimination against non-whites was imposed in housing, employment, education, and public services. It was enforced with a cruelly oppressive regime that used intimidation, torture, and murder to maintain order. Sarafina! was thus an open window to what went on during the Apartheid tied into the story of one rebellious young girl who tried her best to gain freedom for all non-white South Africans.Sarafina! was helpful in presenting and illustrating the struggle for freedom in South Africa during the Apartheid and also in understanding the brutality of the repression and the children’s response. The movie clearly, visibly, and graphically showed the violence of a civil war between the South African government and the non-whites. People were beaten, whipped, kicked, shot at, shocked with electricity, and tortured. There were riots and destruction of property. There was even the scene where the children set fire to the constable who beat and tortured their friends. This particular action of the children, in my opinion, was morally wrong; two wrongs do not make a right. It seemed as though they simply did it as revenge rather than as a solution to their problem. Sarafina! showed that children can have an effect on their world and that once united they can make a difference. The children had a sense of collectivity and unity and also a common goal—to gain their freedom. This was demonstrated in their expressive song and dance numbers against the violent struggle between themselves and the South...
