Bravo Estela

Nelson Mandela & Fidel Castro

Vashna Jagarnath, The Con

Living in Grahamstown, a small settler town that began its life as a fort on the colonial frontier, is often hard work.

On most days it seems that the spirit of John Graham, the British soldier sent to drive the Xhosa across the Fish River in 1811, would feel more at home in this town today than that of Makhanda Nxele, who, seven years later in 1818, led an attack on the colonial fort.

But here and there daily life throws up sometimes surprising moments of inspiration. And every now and then we are richly indulged by visits from remarkable people.

In recent years Tariq Ali, Jacques Depelchin, Lewis Gordon, Silvia Federici, Nomboniso Gasa, John Holloway, Achille Mbembe, VY Mudimbe and Raymond Suttner have all shared their gifts and strength with us.

An Evening With Film Maker Estele Bravo

MANDELA AND FIDEL / SOUTH AFRICA AND CUBA: AN EVENING WITH FILM MAKER ESTELA BRAVO (Wed, 26 February, 6.30pm - Barratt One)

The Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), School of Journalism and Media Studies, and the International Office cordially invite you to a screening of two documentaries by acclaimed American documentary film-maker Estela Bravo.  We are privileged to have Estela Bravo introduce and discuss the documentaries with us at the screening.

"MANDELA AND FIDEL" (2013, 30 min) recounts the friendship of ex-president Nelson Mandela with Fidel Castro of Cuba. Based on the unique access Estela Bravo gained to both men, she explores the source of their friendship in the context of the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa.

"AFTER THE BATTLE" (1991, 58 min) movingly recounts the stories of Cuban, South African, and Angolan soldiers who participated in the epic battle of Cuito Cuanavale in Angola in 1987. What was the motivation, and what was the outcome, for the ones who took part in the conflict, and for their families? Those who fought answer these questions. Filmed on location in South Africa, Angola, Namibia and Cuba, Bravo's documentary examines the politics and human consequences of the war from all sides. It features remarkable footage, archival material, and interviews with Cuban and South African soldiers, as well as the grieving families of those who were killed in the war.

The Secret History of How Cuba Helped End Apartheid in South Africa