Cry Freedom
Cry Freedom, the story of Steve Biko, was released in 1987 and I saw it at my local cinema in Somerset.
It had a profound impact on me. It sounds silly now, but at 16 years old I had no real idea about apartheid. I knew what it was. I knew it was wrong. But I had no idea of the scale of it. Everything I knew I was picking up from bands and the NME. So the film started to teach me about the struggle and gave me the incentive to find out more.
But it wasn’t the film itself that had the biggest impact on me.
When I left the cinema there were about 4 people waiting outside. I think they were Amnesty or ANC campaigners from Bristol, but I’m not sure. One of them pressed a photocopied leaflet into my hand and spoke to me earnestly about what I could do to join the struggle. I could give money. I could sign their petition. I could join their group. That evening outside the cinema I did two of those things. I gave a small amount of money and I signed their petition. I didn’t join the group. That felt far too radical for a country boy like me. But that meeting had a real impact on my politics and my desire to do something.
