Real stories from a free South Africa. Nabantwa Bam'. Volume 5

Description

This film is a fascinating case study of the emergence of social classes even within the same South African family. Two brothers live with their successful and ambitious mother, a market researcher, in a comfortable, middle class Soweto home. The older brother Nhlanhla has suffered a head injury which may be debilitating. In any case, he had no time in the tumultuous decade preceding the end of apartheid to receive an education that would let him take advantage of the opportunities offered by the new South Africa. Street-wise instead, he spends his time hanging out with his home boys, and, in his own words, “mostly taking care of the dog.” His younger brother, Miles, is a ‘born free,’ the first black student at his all white school and now a programmer with a promising career at Microsoft. Though fond of his brother, his life is in complete contrast to Nhlanhla’s. Miles has very clear goals and deadlines for himself; his strong motivation shows what a difference it makes to know that there is no ceiling on one’s ambitions.

Runtime

42 minutes

Series

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Database

Alexander Street

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