A New Country

A New Country takes a sobering look at recent history, from the early days of liberation to an increasingly fractured contemporary society still battling the legacies of apartheid, colonialism, and continuing racial and economic inequality, 26 years after apartheid ended.  Director Sifiso Khanyile assembles an impressive chorus of activists, leaders, educationalists, and artists who comment on the past three decades with perplexed candour and direct outrage. Significantly, the film does not overtly criticise government corruption or incompetence, and, while we might question why, reading between the lines offers a rather chilling answer. As LGBTI activist and filmmaker Dr Palesa Beverly Ditsie puts it “If you criticise the new leaders you are perceived as being allied with our former oppressors.”