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Actors: Leleti Khumalo, Whoopi Goldberg, Miriam Makeba
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Sarafina! |
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Mbongeni Ngema's "Sarafina!" was a 1987 a successful Soweto musical transiting to America's big screen a few years later. Lead character played by Leleti Khumalo reprises her role again as wide-eyed Sarafina, a Soweto teen in South Africa 1976 planning a high school musical about Nelson Mandela and while at the same time, getting involved in a protests with her fellow students about the apartheid that was going on. Sarafina reason for joining the protest was largely based on scoping out the boys rather than the cause itself.
Distant from her mother as her mom works as a maid for a white family, the two hardly sees each other to have a close mother-daughter relationship. But despite this problem Sarafina mom's urges her daughter to get more serious about the racial segragation in South Africa. Inspriing teacher, Mary Masembuko gives lectures to Sarafina and the rest of her students about the oppression of their people is facing and how the situation is worsen giving details that otherwise their textbook would not covered. Masembuko encourage the children to be proud of whom they are. She reminds them all that peace and freedon will prevail throughout the town. Besides her concern for the children and all the problems surrounding them, she also helps them with a play about imprisoned Mandela.
However personal experiences get Sarafina more passionate about civil rights as students protestors is caught in a deadly arson along with a potential boyfriend of Sarafina who was slaughtered by angry mbos after the murder of a policeman. The government now caught Ms. Masembuko and kept her imprisoned. More violence abruptly taken place and riots is ensured between students and the police. But Sarafina's role in being active in the protest causes her time in prison where she is tortured simply because she and others demand equal rights as human beings.
--Alicia M., Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Sarafina! |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
Polit/Social/Race/Gender activism
Yes
Plotlet:
- rrrrrracism!!!!!
Ethnic/Regional/Gender story?
Yes
Main Char. ethnic: (if not US Caucasian)
- Black
Culture clash?
- being oppressed by outside culture
Culture of surrounding area:
- African Black
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn curly
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (woman) long curly
Body type
- (woman) average
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- govt employee
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 80%
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Setting
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Movie makes you feel...
- thoughtful
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If lots of song/dance...
- lot of dancing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Broadway musical
Is this movie based on a
- play
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Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Alicia M.
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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