Mother and daughter drama sheds light on post-apartheid struggles
The film tells the story of a daughter whose success backfires, highlighting the challenges faced by many South Africans, including cultural clashes and the struggle to maintain identity and family connections in a rapidly changing society.
A thought-provoking film, Sabbatical, which premiered on May 6 at Montecasino, explores the intricate dynamic between a mother and daughter, in the context of South Africa’s young democracy.
The film features renowned actress and TV personality Clementine Mosimane, who plays Doris, and Seputla Sebogodi, who plays Gabriel, amongst other stars in the thrilling drama.
Karabo Lediga, the film’s director and writer, drew from her personal experience of growing up in a township, and the sacrifices her single mother made for her education, when she put pen to paper to write the film. “I was raised by a single mother who worked double shifts as a nurse to bankroll my ticket out of the township and the shackles of apartheid: A good education.
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“A good education meant leaving home for whiter places, with more trees, and perfecting the English language. It also meant a widening gap between my mother and I.”
As Lediga navigated her way through predominantly white spaces, she said she struggled with the complexities of her success. “Our success was complex, riddled with anxiety and stress, which resulted in a generation that drinks too much, disillusioned by the realisation that economic transformation never happened, and that spaces of employment are largely white and oppressive.”
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She said, her reunion with her mother, after a long time apart, was marked by a culture clash, highlighting the challenges faced by many South Africans. “The last time we lived together, I was 16 years old. When we did spend time together, it was brief and often cut short by a flight I had to catch, or a TV show to shoot.
“Until I needed to recover from major surgery and had nowhere to go but home. Our reunion was prickly, the space too small for two adults who didn’t have much in common, and full of heartache for a mother who realised that her daughter had grown into an adult she no longer knows or understands.”
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The film tells the story of a daughter whose success backfires, and the mother who toiled for it, shedding light on the ongoing struggles of South Africa’s democracy. Lediga’s personal experience informs the narrative, sparking conversations about identity, family, and the complexities of post-apartheid South Africa.
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