Lebo Magolego’s directorial debut Mamelodi: A Timeline of Heroes is a short documentary that serves as a much-needed crash-course into the rich cultural heritage of the South African community of Mamelodi.
The filmmaker brings together an eclectic collection of personalities to tell its story from the perspectives of the sons and daughters of the soil. One of the main interviewees in the film is Aubrey Mogase.
The Mamelodi-born and bred historian is the author of multiple books on the history and heritage of Mamelodi, his first being Mamelodi: Reflections of a Lifetime. His passionate efforts to preserve the history of the town inspired the filmmaker to take up this project. He also serves as a producer on the film.
Originally inhabited by the native San people, the documentary takes us through the establishment of Mamelodi, or at the time “Gamelodi”, by the migrant AmaNdebele led by King Musi Mabena in the 1400s.
The historically-black community’s pre-colonial historical, social and cultural evolution is briefly explored providing a mosaic of multicultural roots of the people of Mamelodi.
The film also takes us through the decline of the thriving melting pot in the 1800s following the attacks by the Matebele under Mzilikazi and the invasion of the region by the Voortrekkers who later renamed it Vlakfontein.
Following decades of white settler oppression and the institution of the Apartheid system, the town became a township in 1953 regaining the name Mamelodi.
In this dark epoch of social segregation and racial discrimination in South Africa’s history, the town became a bastion for radical African voices in various ways that shaped the independence struggle.
Many anti-Apartheid heroes and luminaries like Sefako Mokgatho, Miriam Makeba, Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, Ernest Cole, Phillip Tabane, Florence and Fabian Ribeiro and Reverend Nico Smith, a prominent white anti-Apartheid activist, lived or had ancestral linkages in Mamelodi.
It also highlights some of the artistic movements that were birthed in the township such as the influential Malombo music genre. The film provides a thoroughly-researched and tightly-edited tapestry of facts and anecdotes that bring to life the town’s vibrant culture and undeniable social significance in the broader context of contemporary South Africa’s collective story.
Interviews with some of the custodians of the history of Mamelodi make up the bulk of the film. Poet and historian Mfanukile Motau (Chairperson of Mamelodi Arts and Culture Forum), musician Dr. Vusi Mahlasela, artist Given Azah Mphango and Manoko Mokgonyana are just some of the characters featured.
The film also employs immersive hyper-realistic 3D monochromatic visualizers to recreate Mamelodi’s precolonial period. The film also uses archival footage and photography and extensive B-roll of present day Mamelodi to advance and enhance the narrative for its viewer.
However, the film’s 28-minute run-time leaves certain portions of the story feeling like they were not exhaustively covered. Perhaps, this leaves room for the filmmaker to make more expansive investigations into these different periods in the community’s history in the future.
Mamelodi: A Timeline of Heroes is poised to premiere at this year’s Durban International Film Festival set to be held between 18 and 28 July.
The documentary will without a doubt leave its audience enriched and wanting more. It’s a well crafted master-class of short form history-telling that, for once, centers a community whose sons and daughters’ contributions to the betterment of South Africa are often overlooked.
After more people see this film, I’m sure that will not be the case for much longer.