It angers me that they think we are not good enough to tell our own stories.
Thabo Ramesti
Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu is a South African film directed by Mandla Dube. It revisits the life of a Mkonto Wesizwe cadre hanged 6 April 1979 at Pretoria Central Prison for a crime he did not commit. Mahlangu’s execution fuelled many anti-apartheid demonstrations, locally and internationally.
In fear of violent outbreaks at his funeral, the Police decided to bury Mahlangu secretly in Atteridgeville
We chat to South African Actor Thabo Rametsi about the weight of carrying such an important story
You play the lead role of Solom Mahlangu in the biopic ‘Kalushi’- The Story of Solomon Mahlangu.What is most challenging about this character?
He was quiet a young man who showed little emotion according to his brother. I needed to play elements of that yet still make an audience sympathetic to him and his plight.
In an interview with EWN you say “This is not an apartheid story” Please elaborate as one may beg to differ considering that every fibre of Soloms struggle is a result of the apartheid regime.
If you think that every element of a person is based on a single narrative then you don’t understand human beings. No one is defined by a single narrative. We explore more than just those events. We explore him and his family nucleus, his ambitions, his love interests. In ‘Kalushi’ the events are not more prominent than his life. You will note that once you watch the film.
What steps did you take in preparing to fill Solomon’s shoes?
The research was intensive. Literally! We went to every place he had lived before the political events took place. Met a lot of his family members and started defining the character based on his interactions with those people and the feeling, I derived once we were at the places he resided in.
If you were the producer, what would you have done differently? The result is superb. That’s all that matters. If I wanted to do something differently then I should’ve made my own movie.
How did you feel, shooting at the very same gallows where Solomon was executed?
It was a cold space. It invoked anger seeing that 16 year olds were hung but I didn’t have the luxury of feeling anything other than Solomon’s perceived state of mind.
What does it mean for the South African film industry to have South Africans play leading roles in their own stories?
It was in my view the most critical thing about this experience for me as an artist. It angers me that they think we are not good enough to tell our own stories. From my view beyond honoring the story how we
told it, using our own people was a big middle finger to all the morons who have attempted to tell similar stories and didn’t involve us.
My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight.
How as Thabo Rametsi do you think you have continued the fight?
I haven’t. In truth even those who say they have whilst only sitting behind their screens posting their views haven’t either. Indirectly through working hard and taking the opportunities afforded to me perhaps. I have marched with the students, I have preached black consciousness and self-love but compared to those like Solomon that really isn’t much of a fight. Apartheid ended in name only but economically we are still oppressed. I have done precious little on that front.
Which moment stood out for you throughout the entire production of Kalushi?
The cast, crew and production worked more than they were requested. They brought so much extra simply put pride. The pride of being South African. The pride of being entrusted with this responsibility.
When can we expect to see the film on the big screen?
September. Not sure of the exact date.
If you had to play the role of another freedom fighter, who would it be and why?
Steven Bantu Biko!!!!! Why? That was the man who should have led this country into its future. I honestly could write a thesis about “why?” but go look the man up. They knew who to kill and who to let live. It is unfamiliar yet breath-taking, to have South Africans cast in lead roles for stories that have shaped our history.
Solomon Mahlangu towered like a colossus, unbroken and unbreakable
-Thabo Mbeki
