All Mak does is turn in great performance after
great performance. Hijack Stories, Yizo-Yizo 3, Stay With Me, he brings a quality to the characters he portrays that can only be described as supernatural. During the research and in the creation of Vusi's character, I read Andile Mngxitama's brilliant essay Blacks Are Kwerekweres/Whites Are Tourists. One paragraph always stayed with me in the construction of the character:
"Truth is many squatter camps which host millions of South Africans are nothing but permanent refuge camps. The multitudes that are trapped there are excluded from our democracy. Their lives are punctuated by violence 24/7. The violence of hunger, denigration, hopelessness and perpetual terror waiting for what the state is going to do next, wondering what dust bowl will follow. The poetry of Abahlali baseMjondolo tells the story of legalised, state-sponsored violence against squatters better. their story is indeed the story of the millions of other squatters."
There is a line in the film where Vusi says, speaking about the government: "these people have betrayed us", I have heard that line, delivered by Mak a hundred times and it still gives me goose bumps. Vusi is a controversial character and Mak was able to bring a humanity to him that has touched and affected audiences the world over.
"Truth is many squatter camps which host millions of South Africans are nothing but permanent refuge camps. The multitudes that are trapped there are excluded from our democracy. Their lives are punctuated by violence 24/7. The violence of hunger, denigration, hopelessness and perpetual terror waiting for what the state is going to do next, wondering what dust bowl will follow. The poetry of Abahlali baseMjondolo tells the story of legalised, state-sponsored violence against squatters better. their story is indeed the story of the millions of other squatters."
There is a line in the film where Vusi says, speaking about the government: "these people have betrayed us", I have heard that line, delivered by Mak a hundred times and it still gives me goose bumps. Vusi is a controversial character and Mak was able to bring a humanity to him that has touched and affected audiences the world over.
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