Sarafina! poster

Sarafina! (1992)

PG-13 · 1992-09-18 · 1h 57m · EN
60%
User score
38 votes
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She was their teacher. They were her hope.

The plot centers on students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to the implementation of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. The stage version presents a school uprising similar to the Soweto uprising on June 16, 1976. A narrator introduces several characters among them the school girl activist Sarafina. Things get out of control when a policeman shoots several pupils in a classroom. Nevertheless, the musical ends with a cheerful farewell show of pupils leaving school, which takes most of act two. In the movie version Sarafina feels shame at her mother's (played by Miriam Makeba in the film) acceptance of her role as domestic servant in a white household in apartheid South Africa, and inspires her peers to rise up in protest, especially after her inspirational teacher, Mary Masombuka (played by Whoopi Goldberg in the film version) is imprisoned.

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Media

Top billed cast

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Leleti KhumaloLeleti KhumaloSarafinaWhoopi GoldbergWhoopi GoldbergMary MasembukoJohn KaniJohn KaniSchool PrincipalMiriam MakebaMiriam MakebaAngelinaMary TwalaMary TwalaSarafina's GrandmotherDumisani DlaminiDumisani DlaminiCrocodileMbongeni NgemaMbongeni NgemaSabelaTertius MeintjesTertius MeintjesLieutenant BloemRobert WhiteheadRobert WhiteheadInterrogatorGreg LatterGreg LatterPolicemanNicky RebeloNicky RebeloSoldierJames WhyleJames WhyleSoldier

Keywords

AfricaMusicalBased on play or musicalSouth africaApartheidSoweto

Movie DNA

Genre affinityDrama · Family · MusicTheme affinityAfrica · Musical · Based On Play Or MusicalDialogue densityDramaEmotional intensityFamilyDirector preference86675Actor preference11361 · 261434 · 46660

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Frequently asked questions about Sarafina!

What is Sarafina! about?

The plot centers on students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to the implementation of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. The stage version presents a school uprising similar to the Soweto uprising on June 16, 1976. A narrator introduces several characters among them the school girl activist Sarafina. Things get out of control when a policeman shoots several pupils in a classroom. Nevertheless, the musical ends with a cheerful farewell show of pupils leaving school, which takes most of act two. In the movie version Sarafina feels shame at her mother's (played by Miriam Makeba in the film) acceptance of her role as domestic servant in a white household in apartheid South Africa, and inspires her peers to rise up in protest, especially after her inspirational teacher, Mary Masombuka (played by Whoopi Goldberg in the film version) is imprisoned.

How long is Sarafina!?

Sarafina! has a runtime of 117 minutes.

Where can I watch Sarafina!?

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