ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the representations of the roles of women and girls in Sarafina! (Roodt 1992), both within the nationalist struggle and after the struggle has been won. Sarafina! depicts the experiences of South Africans living in townships during the anti-apartheid youth uprising of the late 1970s and the 1980s. The film was produced within the context of nation-building during the transitional period from apartheid to democratic rule in South Africa when the dominant African nationalist discourse was now framing violence as a hindrance to political negotiations to establish a democratic South Africa. This chapter argues that instead of exploring women’s and girls’ multiple voices and subject positions during the anti-apartheid struggle, Sarafina! uses the stereotypes associated with feminine qualities – averse to violence and nurturing – to express patriarchal nation-building values. Any departures from these stereotypes are considered temporary. Black people’s victory in the anti-apartheid struggle is expected to result in a re-inscription of women into the domestic sphere and ‘traditional’ roles.
