The film produced in 2009 by Monde World Films, LLC, and directed by Kiersten Dunbar Chace with an all South African cast and crew, still makes for quite interesting viewing that will hopefully continue leading to healthy dialogues.
Many of the opinions and perceptions held in 2009 are still widely held seven years later but are seldom honestly dissected.
The opinions of the cast seem to be as varied as the opinions of the general population.
The different views and interpretations of the term Coloured held by people deemed to be Coloured unfortunately are persistently ignored not only by our government but more importantly, it is ignored by the different political and cultural leaders of and from these very communities.
The different leaders of our communities all seem to want their particular views of this Apartheid constructed identity to be the dominant view completely ignoring the fact that a large proportion of the people who they want to lead are not nearly as narrow in their views of their personal identities or in their views of the term Coloured.
Perhaps these issues should be more openly discussed and debated amongst ourselves and our different cultural and political leaders with the aim of bringing some level of unity to this population group whose identity seems to be constantly in flux.
You can watch the full-length film further below.
I’m Not Black, I’m Coloured - Identity Crisis at the Cape of Good Hope (2009)
Synopsis provided by Monde World Films
In the wake of one of the greatest failed social experiments in the history of mankind, 'I'm not Black, I'm Coloured' is one of the first documentary films to look at the legacy of Apartheid from the viewpoint of the Cape Coloured. A people who in 1994 embraced the concept of Desmond Tutu's all encompassing 'rainbow nation', but soon thereafter realized that freedom, privilege, economic growth and equal representation would not include them. A people who for more than 350 years has been disregarded, ignored, belittled, and stripped of anything they can call their own enduring a complex psychological oppression and identity crisis unparalleled in South African history.
'I'm Not Black, I'm Coloured' explores the rich history of the majority population of Cape Town, the Cape Coloured, and their complex existence in a country still struggling with racial identity. Local elders, community leaders, members of Parliament, pastors, educators, and college students give first-hand accounts of their past experiences under Apartheid and discuss their concerns for the future as tensions continue to build. Witness the discovery of their ancestral roots through a ground breaking genetic DNA project in South Africa.
Film is 52 minutes (TV network version). All South African cast and crew.
Watch: I’m Not Black, I’m Coloured - Identity Crisis at the Cape of Good Hope (2009)
I'm Not Black, I'm Coloured - Identity Crisis at the Cape of Good Hope (2009) from Mondé World Films/Chace Studios on Vimeo.