Remembering Nokutela - an unsung heroine
A special screening of uKukhumbula uNokutela/Remembering Nokutela, a documentary on the life and times of Nokutela Mdima Dube was aired on Tuesday at Inanda Seminary.
Mdima Dube, the wife of the first president of the African National Congress, the late John Langalibalele Dube, was one of the first black women to qualify as a teacher and author the first Zulu songbook.
Among other significant initiatives, Mdima Dube with her husband also founded the Ohlange Institute in Inanda, the first black-owned industrial school in the country in the 1900s as well as the Ilanga Newspaper.
The documentary produced by internationally acclaimed professor and filmmaker Cherif Keita is a tribute to her extraordinary life.
She died at the age of 44 in 1917 and is buried in Johannesburg.
Speaking at the screening, Keita said: “Researching and telling the story of Nokutela feels like an obligation to honour the legacy of a remarkable woman whose contributions have been overlooked for far too long.”
The 54-minute isiZulu production with English subtitles takes the viewer to the streets of Inanda and introduces them to the remaining members of the Mdima and Dube family.
Keita said film was the best medium to use to tell the story.
“If I had written a book, maybe the book would have collected dust on the shelves of the libraries. We are in the visual age and people do not always have patience to read through a 200 or 300 page book.
“But, if you make a 54 minute documentary, you give them the story in the shortest time possible and film allows you to do so,” he said.
Keita said plans were being made to have the documentary available on streaming services so that more people could view it.
Attending the event were members of the Mdima family, as well as other dignitaries.
Award winning storyteller Gina Mhlophe complimented Keita on the production.
She said that it was a job well done and that his love for Mdima Dube and storytelling was made visible.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE
Award winning storyteller Gina Mhlophe paid a compliment to Keita for bringing the production together, that it was a job well done and that his love for Nokutela and storytelling was made visible.
"We will never have enough time as a country to honour you. I thought that I owed myself a trip to Cameroon but because of you I owe myself a trip to Mali," she added.