The cast of the hit struggle movie Sarafina has reunited after 30 years…and right in time for Heritage Day!
The two leading ladies of the movie – Whoopi Goldberg and Leleti Khumalo – alongside producer Anant Singh met in New York
And joining the crew was Prince Albert of Monaco who is married to South African-raised royal Princess Charlene.
‘SARAFINA’ CAST MEET IN NEW YORK
Sharing the exciting news Anant Singh tweeted a picture of the Sarafina “mini-reunion”.
He tweeted: “Delighted to have had a special screening of Sarafina to commemorate the 30th anniversary releasing it in the United States at the Museum of Modern Art in New York last night with our stars Whoopi Goldberg and Leleti Khumalo.
The screening co-hosted by Singh, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and the South African Consulate General New York, coincided with the United Nations General Assembly.
It also took place just days before Heritage Day is celebrated in South Africa.
Joining Whoopi and Leleti were other Sarafina movie and theatre cast members like Ntombikhona Dlamini, Nandi Ndlovu, and Lindiwe Dlamini. Media mogul Basetsana Kumalo, Prince Albert of Monaco, and a host of United Nations delegates also attended the event.
According to Videovision, Sarafina had its United States premiere at New York’s prestigious Radio City Musical Hall almost to the day 30 years ago, on 14 September 1992.
Speaking at the screening, Anant Singh said, “Sarafina holds up really well 30 years after its release. The film is a celebration of the young women of our liberation, the mothers of the struggle who made significant sacrifices, and our powerful legacy of activism.
“When we started the process of making Sarafina little did we know that by the time the film had its premiere, Madiba would be released from prison. We are very privileged that he attended the world premiere in Johannesburg three decades ago.”
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: ‘I AM HONOURED’
Also speaking at the event, US actress and media personality Whoopi Goldberg said: “It’s great to be here. I look at Leleti, I look at Anant and I think, wow we did do this! I’m getting old and every couple of years there’s a celebration and this is a 30-year celebration. I am honoured to be alive to celebrate it.”
Speaking about the relevance of Sarafina in 2022, she added of the youth-inspired movie: “Keep talking to the kids because they are going to fix it, they are going make it happen, they are going to make change happen. They are not polite, they are not going to bend when they see something wrong and that’s what happened in the film, they just got tired and said no more.”
And SA’s own Leleti Khumalo added: “I lived the role of Sarafina on stage, and I am grateful to Anant for believing in me to play the role in the film. I am thrilled to be here in person to celebrate this milestone and to share this special moment with Whoopi.”