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Film Screening: Disturbance 68; The Past is Not the Future
The series began with a film screening of Disturbance 68 and The Past is Not the Future. Tshisimani identified film as a way to deliver the essence of Walter Rodney to an audience who might not have encountered him before. An input from Patricia Rodney, chair of the Walter Rodney Foundation and widow of Walter Rodney, marked the start of the series.
The Walter Rodney Revolutionary Library was an essential partner in the program. The library, which was started by left-leaning students based just outside of Johannesburg, collects; shares and teaches Rodney’s writings because of it’s importance for anti-imperialist, decolonial and pan-african scholars and community leaders today. Vusi Mahlangu, member of the library, made an input about Rodney’s impact on their ideas and thinking.
Professor Mathew J Smith, Chair of the Department of History and Archeology at the University of West Indies, Mona, directed the two films about the life of Walter Rodney and his time as a student which were screened at the kick-starter event. The films put into images the life, time and ideas of Walter Rodney. The following Q&A, gives more context to the films and their ideas.