‘A Walk in the Night’, ‘A Dry White Season’

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

In the recent past, there have been numerous movies shot as well as books written highlighting the way violence and discrimination affect Africans and people of different from white skin color. People may assume that apartheid or discrimination due to the color of skin no longer exists, but research proves otherwise (Matsinhe 58).

Apartheid and its legacies were covered in movies in the 21^st century in a bid to create awareness in the minds of individuals regarding the issue. Two such films that have created awareness about issues of violence and discrimination against Africans are, “A Walk in the Night”, and “A Dry White Season”.

A Walk in the Night is a film based on Alex La Guma’s book and is set in the early 1960’s in Cape Town (Matsinhe 61). At that time, the city was experiencing destructive racism as well as hatred in the society (Matsinhe 77). The film revolves around a young steelworker by the name Mikey, who is fired from his work place by a white supervisor, who happens to be a racist (Matsinhe 86).

In his desperation to find work, he opts to start selling drugs and with time ends up breaking up with his girlfriend Zelda. Mikey’s anger finally gets the best of him, and results in a series of incidents that have tragic results (Matsinhe 90). A Dry White Season is a film by Andre P. Brink, which is also set in South Africa at the time when the nation was experiencing apartheid.

Discussion

Brink’s film is about a school teacher, Ben du Toit, who has endured insults all his life due to his support of justice for minorities. An incident takes place involving the son of his black gardener who does not show up back in the neighborhood, later realizing that the boy has been murdered (Matsinhe 94). The film is all about the experience Ben undergoes because of the violent nature of the justice system.

It is quite obvious from these two films, that the daily experiences of violence as well as discrimination affect the protagonists, including their sense of right and wrong (Matsinhe 98). In A Walk in the Night, racism, segregation as well as labor exploitation can be traced by a reader.

White employers tend to fire their employees due to their skin color, for instance, in Mikey’s case being of a mixed race (Matsinhe 100). Apparently, it is the Whites who also control the country’s economy during that time. As a result of having to endure such violence and discrimination, the characters in this film end up developing hatred (Matsinhe 113).

In A Dry White Season, the characters also endure violence and discrimination due to their skin color. Taking place in Soweto, a white school teacher witnesses the arrest and beating of a black school boy, who ends up disappearing (Matsinhe 120). Upon realizing that the school boy has been murdered, Ben du Toit decides to investigate the incidence.

The story is about the boy was murdered by a policeman who took gratification from beating the school boy to death (Matsinhe 128). Because the school teacher is involved in the black schoolboy’s case, he soon finds himself isolated from his white friends and other members of his family. The characters involved in this particular movie also end up developing hatred towards the justice system and discrimination (Matsinhe 132).

Conclusion

A Walk in the Night and A Dry White Season are two films that are based on the cases of apartheid by Africans in the South Africa. The directors have emphasized the presence of racial tension as well as the economic despair in the South Africa. The audience is made aware of what really transpired and is still taking place in regards to discrimination and violence because of skin color. Both movies also teach the importance of forgiveness and pursuit of justice irrespective of the odds against a person.

Works Cited

Matsinhe, David M. Apartheid Vertigo: The Rise in Discrimination against Africans in South Africa, Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2013. Print.

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‘A Walk in the Night’, ‘A Dry White Season’

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