30 Years after Apartheid

In 2024, we mark a historic moment: thirty years since Nelson Mandela, a symbol of struggle and resilience, was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president in 1994, ending 42 years of legalized apartheid. This system, in which the white minority ruled and was considered superior, left deep and lasting marks on the landscape of the country and in the hearts of its people.

It is almost inconceivable that, just three years after the horrors of the Second World War and the subsequent calls for humanity and equality, apartheid was legislated in South Africa. The black and colored population was deprived of their most basic rights, forced to live in isolation and oppression.

But in 1994 a new era began. An era of hope, change and the promise of equality. Yet the question we ask thirty years later is: has that promise been fulfilled? In our documentary "30 years after Apartheid" we give the voice and perspective back to the South Africans themselves. We provide several generations in and around Johannesburg with a mobile phone, so that they can share their own stories about how they experience South Africa three decades after the abolition of apartheid.

We resist the temptation to travel to South Africa ourselves and tell the story through our own lens. That would show arrogance and a lack of understanding for the complexity and deep-seated impact of the past. By letting South Africans tell their own stories, we celebrate their strength, make their voices heard and offer an authentic view of a nation in transformation.