What was the movie Sarafina about?

What was the movie Sarafina about?

Sarafina (Leleti Khumalo) is a young black South African struggling for freedom during the apartheid. While she has remained relatively silent in her opposition of the racist government in her country, the movement to make the language of Afrikaans the official language in her school leads her to protest in the streets with her fellow students. Her anti-government views become even more intense when her favorite teacher (Whoopi Goldberg) is arrested for protesting.
Sarafina!/Film synopsis

Is Sarafina a real story?

It stars Whoopi Goldberg as Mary Masembuko, a high school teacher in the blacks-only township of Soweto, South Africa. The actual story (the one with the real South Africans in it) is about the growing consciousness of trusting school kid Sarafina (Leleti Khumalo).

Is there a Sarafina movie?

Sarafina! is a 1992 musical drama film based on Mbongeni Ngema’s 1987 musical of the same name. The film was directed by Darrell Roodt and written by Ngema and William Nicholson, and stars Leleti Khumalo, Miriam Makeba, John Kani, Ngema, and Whoopi Goldberg; Khumalo reprises her role from the stage performance.

What event begins the film of the musical Sarafina?

The film begins with the following legend: “In 1976 the South African government declared a State of Emergency. For the next thirteen years, school children adopted a campaign of resistance. Approximately 700 were killed, over 10,000 were arrested, many more [were] tortured and assaulted.

Who is Sarafina in real life?

Leleti Khumalo

Leleti Khumalo
Nationality South African
Occupation actress
Years active 1988–present
Known for Sarafina!

What is Sarafina’s real name?

Leleti Khumalo
Occupation actress
Years active 1988–present
Known for Sarafina!
Spouse(s) Skhuthazo Winston Khanyile

Who are the main characters in Sarafina by Miriam Makeba?

The character Sarafina ( Leleti Khumalo) feels shame at her mother’s ( Miriam Makeba) acceptance of her role as domestic servant in a white household in apartheid South Africa, and inspires her peers to rise up in protest, especially after her inspirational teacher, Mary Masembuko ( Whoopi Goldberg) is imprisoned.

Why was Sarafina not a hit in the US?

Whoopi Goldberg mentioned on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (who said the movie was a hit in South Africa), that the LA riots due to Rodney King happened at the same time that Sarafina! was released which resulted in the movie not being so well known in the US. The film holds a 60% “certified fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Who was the teacher in the movie Sarafina?

Sarafina! The movie stars Khumalo as a bright young student who is inspired by her teacher ( Whoopi Goldberg) to dream of a better tomorrow. The teacher makes statements in her classroom that sound like common sense to us – but like communism to the South African authorities, circa 1976, who arrest her and take her away.