There aren’t many places to go in New York when you’re homesick for a lekker South African meal. For ‘n bietjie bobotie, some pap & vleis, a bowl of mngqusho, or a slice of malva pudding. Up until Sunday night, there was only one place to go that fed your soul just as much as it did your stomach. To residents who live in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, Madiba became a staple on the block of Dekalb and Carlton streets, opposite the Edmonds Playground, close to the park. To South Africans – and Africans – it became a home-away-from-home. A place to go when you wanted to support your team during…
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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom NYC Premiere
It’s been a few weeks since the Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (leaving me weeping in my seat). The film has since had a theme song, written by U2, added to it, and premiered in South Africa, where it received a warm reception from my fellow countrymen and women who don’t just accept any ol’ Madiba impersonation. Last week US Pres Barack Obama screened it at the White House, and next month the British Royal Family will attend the Royal Film Performance of the film too. On Thursday night the film premiered in New York, the first city Madiba visited in the…
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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom goes to the White House
While the Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom movie had its premiere in Johannesburg on Sunday night, news came from the White House on Monday that US President Barack Obama would host a special screening of the film this coming Thursday. I’ve often thought about these screenings and what it would be like to grab a box of popcorn and head into the exclusive cinema. Who makes it onto the guest-list? Does the Secret Service watch too? Do Obama and Michelle rate the films with a thumbs up or down, or give them a score out of 5? Trivial questions aside, I did find this little bit of trivia about some of…
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Mandela Day in the US
Ever since coming to New York to report on the first ever Mandela Day and the concert that accompanied it at Radio City Music Hall, I’ve been interested in the relationship between this city and my former president, Nelson Mandela. He made an important trip here just after his release in 1990, and his legacy still lives on in various landmarks around New York. The UN declared 18 July, the birthday of Madiba as we fondly call him, International Mandela Day, and every year, people all over the world are encouraged to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to charity, or an act of goodwill, that is in keeping with…
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Hugh Jackman, Nelson Mandela and Les Miserables
I had the fantastic opportunity to sit opposite the super-talented Hugh Jackman and ask him a few questions about his role in the film version of Les Miserables, directed by Tom Hooper, who gave us the award-winning The King’s Speech. Hugh is one of my favourite things about the musical-turned-movie. He is full of passion, vigour, tenderness, and just a thrill to watch onscreen. But there’s another reason to love the Australian actor. He told me he looked to Nelson Mandela as part of his preparation to play Jean Valjean, one of literature’s archetype characters. This was before Madiba was hospitalized. No doubt Hugh, like the rest of us, wishes him…
