Educational Media Reviews Online

The very thought of child rape is chilling, and infant rape is nigh incomprehensible. Yet in 2001 South African society was rocked by the widely publicized revelation of two appallingly brutal sexual assaults on female babies. No Past to Speak Of explores what happened to one of these victims and the complex mix of causative factors behind just such brutal behavior. What are the factors that could cause members of a society to lose the very essence that defines them as human?

In 2001 Claudia Ford, an ex-patriot American who has lived in South Africa since 1994, was called by a friend to come and visit the baby in the hospital. The baby was five month old Vyanna, who had just undergone surgery to repair internal damages caused by rape. She fostered and eventually adopted Vyanna and nursed the infant through recovery from her emotional trauma and physical injuries, plus the effects of a heavy course of post exposure anti-retroviral drugs. But Ford did more than simply rescue this damaged child; she went on to become a crusader to end the “culture of shame and silence” that fails to address the issues and thus perpetuates the violence. In this sense No Past to Speak Of is as much Claudia Ford’s story as it is her daughter’s.

In a country where the former president, Thabo Mbeki, questioned whether there was in fact a link between HIV and AIDS, HIV/AIDS is rampant. In the 15 to 49 age group, one in five is positive for the disease. According to the South African Department of Health 4.5 million were infected by 2000. This film critically examines the popular myth, allegedly spread through the media, that sexual intercourse with a virgin can cure the disease.

South Africa also suffers from the effects of 350 years of violence—colonization followed by institutionalized apartheid that systematically destroyed native culture. The townships were “specifically built to restrict the movement and the possibility of expansion of the human spirit.” The resulting isolated communities for black South Africans are an explosive mix of political rivalries, overcrowding, squalid living conditions, and violence that begets aggressiveness. According to Li Buthelizi, a project manager for a township life skills program, “Respect for women and children is dead.”

Compounding the problem is the steep economic divide between rich and poor and a patriarchal attitude that places the men at the center of all that is important and valuable and devalues women. While South Africa has one of the highest reported incidences of rape, the conviction rate is quite low and in fact most incidences of rape are unreported. The rape of babies is simply one aspect of the disrespect for life.

Skillfully combining news and archival footage, interviews with academics, politicians, medical and law enforcement workers, and enhanced by a moving soundtrack of the music of Zim Ngqawana, No Past to Speak Of is a thoughtful, sensitive exploration of a horrific subject. Highly recommended for college and university programs and for mature audiences; this film contains graphic scenes of violence and deals with adult issues.