Third Re-publication Confirms Enduring Impact of Apartheid Cinema Book

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The Cinema of Apartheid:  Race and Class in South African Film was this year republished, reaching a fourth edition. Authored by Professor Keyan Tomaselli of the Centre for Communication, Media and Society (CCMS), this fourth printing indicates the global impact of the book.

Not only does it provide a detailed history of South African cinema, but the book reflects how it played a central role in attempts to legitimise apartheid, in part, by presenting it as ‘a natural way of life’.

The Cinema of Apartheid was first published in the United States in 1988, endorsed by anti-apartheid stalwarts Nadine Gordimer and Dennis Brutus.  The Commonwealth edition appeared in 1989 via Routledge in the UK and Random-Century in South Africa. 

Now in 2014, the book has been re-issued in hardback by Routledge Library Editions and is also available as an ebook.  The US edition won the KWANZAA Award issued by the Africa Network (Chicago) chaired by Brutus.  The seven principles of KWANZAA are:  unity (Umoja), self-determination (Kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (Ujjima), cooperative economics (Ujamaa), creativity (Kuumba) and faith (Imani).

Commenting on the new edition, Tomaselli, who was recently recognised as a ‘hero and legend’ by the film industry via the Simon Sabela Award Ceremony, stated:  ‘The appearance of this new edition indicates the enduring value of academic work and its relevance for the industry, in addition to its being read by students globally.’

The new book can be accessed at:  http://routledge-ny.com/books/details/9780415726740/

Melissa Mungroo