my film friday pick is yet another documentary! because of what's happening right now in zimbabwe with robert mugabe's re-election, i thought this a fitting pick. 'mugabe and the white african'.
'mugabe and the white african' is a film that received much acclaim and deservedly so. it follows mike campbell and his family, white africans, who have farmed their land for over 50 years. the film exposes the land resettlement and reform program in zimbabwe and how mugabe is taking farm land from white africans to give to black peasants. it's a documentary that raises as many questions as it answers, and i've researched a bit of history and this land resettlement process has a long and complicated past. the british colonized southern rhodesia in late 1800's mainly for exploitation of africa's mineral rights. during this period, white farmers purchased(took) much of the fertile tribal land away from the africans who'd lived and farmed that land for generations. these tribes did not hold title to their land, as most indigenous cultures do not, and they had no access to banking and loans to compete with influx of money coming from england. when mugabe came to power in 1980's he wanted this 'stolen' land re-distributed to the african peasants. it became a battle that ultimately resulted in violence and destruction. this documentary raises the question, who took land from whom? see for yourself, watch the entire film here. or here. let me know what you think. xoxo, am
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