Attention All Democracy, Documentary and Culture Lovers

TUESDAY APRIL 22nd at the HOUSE OF NSAKO, 101 HIGH STREET, BRIXTON, JOHANNESBURG. 7.49 PM SHARP!

Bram Fischer’s 100th birthday is being celebrated in high intellectual style at Jozi’s hottest new culture space, the House of Nsako, the night before his birthday, on the 22nd of April. The evening will kick off with a screening of the award-winning documentary Love, Communism, Revolution, and Rivonia – Bram Fischer’s Story, presented by the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association of South Africa (DFA). The film is followed by a thought-provoking hour-long discussion on “Democracy, Revolution, and Reconciliation.”

Panelists include:

Sharon Farr, producer and director of the documentary;

Hugh Lewin, the renowned journalist who was in jail with Bram Fischer;

Deon Maas, the controversial producer, media personality, and well-known contemporary “leftist” Afrikaner;

Dan Roodt, co-founder of PRAAG (Pro-Afrikaans Action Group), an extra- parliamentary movement devoted to the rights of Afrikaners;

other surprises….

Joining in will be student representatives from the University of the Free State, the University of Johannesburg, and WITS University. Other guests from the world of human rights, democracy, film, and culture will also be on hand.

After this, everyone will be able to work out whatever issues linger by dancin’, arguin’, on until midnight

The evening promises to be inspirational, educational, insightful confrontational, and full of surprises!

ABOUT THE FILM:

Bram Fischer, a child of Afrikaner aristocracy, came to lead the SA Communist Party during the struggle. At the Rivonia Trial, he saved Mandela and others from execution. When all his comrades were jailed or exiled, he took a defiant solitary stand, living in disguise as apartheid’s most wanted man until his capture and sentence to life imprisonment in 1966. The documentary is a personal and moving story of courage, conviction and an unswerving vision of a non-racial South Africa and was the winner of best South African documentary at Encounters in 2007. Nominated for a 2008 KANNA Award in the feature-length film category.

ABOUT DARKIEMENTARY FILIM NITES:
Mahala Media and DungaMunzi Films are producing this screening series every Tuesday night at the House of Nsako, screening local and international truths and fikshans through an AfriKan lenz. Dinner and drinks are served at the venue.

ABOUT THE HOUSE OF NTSAKO The House of NsAkO is a Museum and Institute of African POpular KAlture – MIAPOKA! Music, Art, Film, Food, Fashion, Literature & Dance all come together to create Josi’s most unique, inspiring venue that ACCURATELY reflects the contemporary South African experience. NsAkO was recently featured in the City Press. More info at www.nsako.blogspot.com.

To reserve a seat or for more information please contact Neo at 072 619 6203 or Michael at 082 223 5432. email: michael@mahalamedia.net

Television News

A Jihad for Love

‘At this year’s Istanbul International Film Festival, one of the major attractions is A Jihad for Love, a documentary about a taboo subject: homosexuality in Islamic countries. Homosexuality is strictly banned in most interpretations of the Koran. This is the first time the film is being screened in a Muslim country.

The film, which Indian Muslim director Pervez Sharma filmed in 12 countries and took six years to make, is an intimate look at the lives of 12 gay Muslim men and women. Much of the material was filmed in secret in Muslim countries that ban homosexuality. But Sharma says the film is as much about the Muslim faith as it is about homosexuality.’

Visit http://www.voanews.com for the full article

John Adams Comes to Life on Television

‘John Adams, the second president of the United States, comes to life on American cable television. The ‘John Adams’ miniseries, based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, offers a revealing account of John Adams’s profound influence on the American Revolution and the formation of the American nation.

John Adams was fiery; A born orator. He was the man who persuaded the Continental Congress to rise against the British army in 1776. He was a driving force of the American Revolution. And yet, he is an obscure figure in American history. That is, up until now, says Tom Hanks, the producer of the series.

He is portrayed in the series as the man who coaxed Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. And it was he who convinced his fellow patriots to form a revolutionary army and he who hand-picked the leader of that army — General George Washington.’

Go to www.voanews.com for the full article

007 Exhibition

‘An exhibition marking 100 years since the birth of James Bond creator Ian Fleming and showing the suave superspy’s roots in his own life was unveiled in London Wednesday.

“For Your Eyes Only” features props from the films including a bloodstained shirt worn by the latest Bond, Daniel Craig, in “Casino Royale” and prototypes of the villainous Rosa Klebb’s flick-knife shoes in “From Russia With Love”.

It also examines how Fleming’s own life helped shape his creation 007, famed for his daring, seductive powers and love of “shaken, not stirred” Martinis.

Exhibits covering Fleming’s role in World War II as assistant to Britain’s director of naval intelligence — where he helped coordinate intelligence operations and met a string of Bond-like action men — feature in the show.’

This article was sourced from france24.com

Positive Change In Cuba

‘Cuba’s government says it will launch a new television station including foreign-produced content. The move is the latest in a series of changes aimed at easing restrictions and increasing economic activity on the island.

Cuban officials announced plans for the new 24-hour television channel at a conference of writers and artists in Havana. Intellectuals at the event called for the Communist government to embrace new technologies and expand access for cultural and artistic expression to Cubans.’

Information sourced from voanews.com