Legendary Filmmaker Anant Singh says although he was “proud” to witness the unity among the diverse group of athletes in Tokyo, it was disheartening to see the racial divide following the recent unrest that gripped South Africa.
Singh explained in an open letter that two prominent articles stood out for him.
“One was from the Financial Times yesterday, and the other from the New York Times last week. I felt that they were excellent, and I have taken the liberty to quote from each of them,” said Singh.
Reflecting on these articles Singh said he felt “compelled” to write a piece on the chaos that shook the economy of South Africa.
He wrote: ”As depressing and somewhat despairing these reports may be, it is a reality that we have to face and deal with as a nation. It is our collective responsibility to find solutions to mitigate falling deeper into this abyss.
“Thapelo Mohapi looks at the mangled and scorched scraps of what were once shacks and reflects quietly that, at 38, twice now have the flames of political violence in South Africa left him without a home.
“The first time, as a boy in the 1980s, Mohapi was given shelter by Indian neighbours in the Durban settlement of Phoenix when the brutal last days of apartheid engulfed the nearby black township where he lived. It was part of solidarity that would in time give rise to a multiracial democracy.
“The Indian community never said at any stage that you are not part of us,” said Mohapi.
“The second time was the night of July 14. As riots and looting sparked by a power struggle in the ruling African National Congress swept heartland regions, destroyed businesses and left more than 300 dead, a fire burnt through the homes of Mohapi and hundreds of others in an informal settlement in Durban’s Briardene suburb.
“The fire brigade couldn’t reach it in time because of the unrest,” Mohapi says.
According to reports Mohapi is living in a friend’s car and wears donated clothes.
“Over the past several weeks I've been thinking about, and trying to assess how I can meaningfully contribute to the process towards reconciliation and healing, given the significant pain, insecurity, anguish and loss of life that has occurred in our beautiful land.
“In the past, I've used the vehicle of film and narrative storytelling to do this, but I feel that given the urgency and the timing, that for now, I would like to share my feelings.
“While there have been many commentators and journalists who have criticised the events around the unrest, and laid blame on many different possible causes, we have to acknowledge that these events have occurred, and we now need to look to the future, and try to find ways of making sure this doesn't happen again.
“An uneasy calm has settled. How long it lasts is anyone’s guess. Yet the past few weeks have conclusively dispelled many illusions about the country, none more so than the myth of South African exceptionalism — of a South Africa more peaceful than its African neighbours, more developed and with a future that bends inevitably toward good and triumph. The reality, as we await the next outbreak of violence, is much uglier.
“Together, we will be strong! Together, we shall overcome!”
Read the full open letter here.