Just prior to his departure from politics, President Nelson Mandela delivered an informal speech to a predominately mixed-race “Coloured” community in the Western Cape. He reassured them they had nothing to fear from the ANC government once he left office…. that his dream of a free and equal society for all South Africa’s citizens would continue in the hearts and minds of his successors.
Now, twenty years later, Word of Honour: Reclaiming Mandela’s Promise, illuminates the story of a people questioning the fate of their “Coloured” identity in the new South Africa. Word of Honour blends poetry, landscape imagery, and rare archival footage with a collection of powerful voices who share their insight and experience regarding the issues facing their communities.
What the critics say…
“An impassioned call to honor and reclaim Mandela’s vision.” — Professor G. Reginald Daniel – University of California Santa Barbara
“Intimate portrayal of the exclusion of the “Coloured” Community in the supposedly new and fair South Africa.” — Nicola Dawson - Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Honours
- Twin Cities Film Festival
Producer: Kiersten Dunbar Chace
Run Time: 73 minutes
Followed by…
The Thinking Garden
A film about resilience. Three generations come together to create a community garden. In the midst of an epic drought and political turmoil, with limited access to land and little political voice they join together, beyond the household, beyond their kin, to make something new. Striking portraits of remarkable women emerge. The Thinking Garden shows what can happen when older women take matters into their own hands, and how local action can give even the most vulnerable people a measure of control over their food and their futures.
Community Partner
Greater Vancouver Advocacy Network
Sponsored by
Abel & Helen Bloch Foundation
What the critics say…
“You will fall in love with these wonderful women, as I did when I watched it.” — Norah L. Clarke
Honours
Vancouver International Women in Film Festival
Director: Christine Welsh
Assistant Director: Basani Ngobeni
Producers: Christine Welsh, Elizabeth Vibert
Run Time: 37 minutes
Stay in your seats…
Followed by a Q&A with co-producers Moira Simpson and Elizabeth Vibert, and assistant director Basani Ngobeni.