Confronting the Horrors of Apartheid: The Case of the Documentary film Night’s Journey into Day: South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation (2000)

Abstract

The heinous crimes of Apartheid have come and gone, but they left bitter scars and memories in their trail. Through the documentary narrative, Night’s Journey into Day: South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation (2000), this article seeks to explore the horrors of Apartheid and to discover its political and ideological contradictions. The article will delve into the realities and ambiguities of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. This Commission was tasked to bring to the surface the “buried” narratives that are constantly fighting to claim space in the history of South Africa. Night’s Journey into Day: South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation has particularly been selected as the subject of scrutiny because its discourses reflect that members of the South African society can have the capacity to live beyond the brutalising memories and horrors of Apartheid. This soul-searching journey, motivated by the documentary, humanises individuals as they are brought face to face with perpetrators of violence and the truth behind the violence is revealed, which then give room to a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation. The documentary inspires all international audiences to re-think their positions vis-à-vis issues of racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia, other forms of discrimination, and social and political injustices.

 Opsomming

Die afskuwelike misdade van Apartheid het gekom en gegaan, maar dit het bittere letsels en herinneringe agtergelaat. Met hierdie artikel word die verskrikkinge van Apartheid met behulp van die dokumentêre narratief, Night’s Journey into Day: South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation (2000) verken en word die politiese en ideologiese teenstrydighede daarvan onder die vergrootglas geplaas. Hierdie artikel grawe diep in die realiteite en dubbelsinnighede van Suid-Afrika se Waarheid-en-versoenings-kommissie onder voorsitterskap van aartsbiskop Desmond Tutu. Die opdrag aan hierdie Kommissie was om die “vergete” narratiewe, wat voortdurend om ’n plek in die geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika moet meeding, na vore te bring. Night’s Journey into Day: South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation is in die besonder gekies as onderwerp van bestudering omdat die diskoerse daarin weerspieël dat lede van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing oor die vermoë beskik om verby die onmenslike herinneringe en verskrikkinge van Apartheid te lewe. Hierdie selfondersoekende reis, wat deur die dokumentêre film aangemoedig word, vermenslik individue namate hulle van aangesig tot aangesig voor die plegers van geweld te staan kom en die waarheid onderliggend aan die geweld onthul word, en dit laat ruimte vir ’n gees van vergiffenis en versoening. Die dokumentêre film inspireer gehore internasionaal om hul posisies jeens kwessies van rassisme, xenofobie en Islamofobie, ander vorme van diskriminasie, en maatskaplike en politieke onregte te heroorweeg.