The National Museum in Bloemfontein is set to feature in a documentary by Brand South Africa, showcasing the challenges experienced during Apartheid, as well as the progress made during the country’s 30 years of democracy.
“The concept of the documentary came from Brand South Africa’s Head of Communications, Thoko Modise,” explained Matthew Jones, Producer at Brand South Africa. Jones’ decision to include the National Museum came after he read an article by Dr Derek du Bruyn, an historian and principal scientist at the museum in Bloemfontein.
During their time in Bloemfontein, Jones, and videographer Wayne du Preez, shot footage of the museum’s Batho exhibition. Jones took interest in the Batho Project and the oral interviews conducted with residents about their experiences during Apartheid.
“The National Museum has been conducting extensive research through interviews with the people of Batho, who experienced both displacement and discrimination during Apartheid,” explained Jones.
One of the interviewees, Sophia Sesing, who was born in Batho in 1936, will be featured in the documentary. Sesing was originally interviewed by Khotso Pudumo, a staff member of the History Department. Pudumo will also be featured in the documentary.
“The oral interviews conducted were incredibly valuable to the documentary team in locating ideal stories of ordinary individuals playing their part during Apartheid,” Jones added. He explained that he was fascinated to hear the stories that slipped through history books, and that he was particularly fond of personal and nuanced tales.
“The National Museum of Bloemfontein was incredibly active in their assistance, coordinating logistics with residents in Bloemfontein and sourcing everything we needed to tell the story,” said Jones.
He went on, saying: “Not only were the logistics so efficiently laid out by Derek and Khotso, but the poignant and personal stories that we were so fortunate to hear, from the 88-year-old Mrs Sesing, were eye-opening and informative and we look forward to being able to share it with South Africa.”
While the documentary remains untitled for now, the project is set to be completed and released around Heritage Day – 24 September, with Brand South Africa hoping to air the documentary on SABC.
“The separate stories will all be uploaded digitally on Brand South Africa’s social media pages,” Jones explained.
Warren Hawkins
