Educational Media Reviews Online

On Feb. 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from the South African prison where he had been kept for the past 28 years. He had become a worldwide symbol in the fight against the South African government’s racial separation policy called apartheid.

The movement to end apartheid became such a major part of the news in the 1970s and 1980s that many viewers of Have You Heard From Johannesburg will have at least a sketchy understanding of the events. But this documentary series fills in the details and lets you understand not only what it was like living under apartheid, but also the thought process of those who wanted to maintain that policy permanently.

Have You Heard From Johannesburg is presented on seven DVDs, ranging in running time from 58 to 95 minutes. Four of the episodes also have shorter versions included on their respective discs, with running times trimmed by 26 to 44 minutes. The title comes from a line in the Gil Scott-Heron song Johannesburg, which is heard at the beginning of each segment, and music plays an important part in underscoring the emotions in this series.

Disc 1 is called Road to Resistance and takes the story back to the beginnings. The Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, with the white colonial settlers from Britain and the Netherlands denying any role in government to blacks. In 1948, the formal policy of apartheid was instituted, with all residents tracked by race and put in one of four categories: white, black, coloured (mixed-race), or Indian. Passbooks were required to be carried by non-whites, and no skilled black workers were allowed in areas reserved for whites. Interracial sexual relations were banned by the Immorality Act.

The African National Congress had formed in 1912 to protest for equal access by blacks. They began with non-violent actions, using the principles developed by Mahatma Gandhi when he lived in South Africa in the early 20th century. The utility of non-violence was questioned, however, after the infamous Sharpeville massacre of 1960. Unarmed marchers protesting passbook laws were killed by government troops. Many of the 72 killed were shot in the back as they ran away from the police. Subsequent crackdowns by the government put almost all of the movement’s leaders in prison, including Nelson Mandela, or forced them into exile.

Oliver Tambo was one leader who was able to escape South Africa and go into exile in England. The story of his building an international protest against apartheid is told in disc 2, Hell of a Job. Tambo started with nothing, but was able to develop allies in Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme and the World Council of Churches. He sought and received aid from the Soviet Union when major Western powers such as the U.S., Great Britain, and France were unwilling to help. The association with the Soviet Union allowed the South African government and its supporters to brand the ANC as a Communist front and Tambo as a puppet used by the Soviets in their attempts to gain control of southern Africa.

Disc 3 is called The New Generation and looks at the black students who became the new leaders of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa after their parents had been mostly cowed into submission by the government. Steve Biko is one of those who comes to the forefront. His death in police custody becomes a rallying cry for protesters around the world, including the Netherlands, the ancestral homeland of the white South Africans called Boers or Afrikaaners.

World opinion was further enraged after another police massacre, this time in the Soweto township in 1976. It’s estimated that 500 people were killed in two days by police, who were given carte blanche to establish “law and order.” The following year, a mandatory arms boycott against South Africa was approved by the United Nations, the first time a boycott had been passed by the body.

Disc 4, Fair Play, looks at the attempts to ban South Africa from all international sports competition. While that may seem trivial to some, it struck at the heart of Afrikaaner culture. As one white South African says in the video, a sports boycott was almost as painful as an economic boycott for Afrikaaners. South Africa eventually was banned from the Olympics and international competition in every individual sport except for rugby. South Africa’s national team was one of the best in the world at this sport and traveled to Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand to take on their chief rivals. The New Zealanders also visited South Africa. The tactics used in protests against these matches and the experiences related by the protesters and the South African rugby players make this a particularly compelling episode. The long version of this episode is narrated by American actress Alfre Woodard, rather than the usual narrator, Mmaboshadi M. Chauke. She is heard, however, on the shorter version.

Disc 5, From Selma to Soweto, looks at American reaction to the movement. While there was an important student movement and calls for U.S. companies to divest all holdings in South Africa, President Ronald Reagan was firmly opposed to any kind of sanctions against South Africa. As conditions grew worse, however, and the South African government became even more brutal in its crackdown, momentum built in Congress and a sanctions bill was passed, then became law when Congress was able to override Reagan’s veto.

Disc 6, The Bottom Line, looks at the many companies that had business ties in South Africa and the movement to get them to leave South Africa. Despite propaganda campaigns and payoffs by the South African government, over 350 companies eventually stopped doing business in South Africa, with a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars to the South African economy. Alfre Woodard is also the narrator for the long version of this episode.

The final disc is called Free at Last. Campaigns at home and abroad have finally reached the tipping point, and South Africa lifts its ban on ANC operation in the country and frees Mandela. An ill Oliver Tambo is able to return home, but he does not live to see Mandela elected President.

At close to nine hours, this DVD does require an investment of time, but it definitely pays off. The future of South Africa in a post-Mandela world is still very much in question, and would make for an interesting sequel. But Have You Heard From Johannesburg admirably achieves what it sets out to do.