An attitude of mind…
A way of life.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
When a child is called out by the name of the parent in Africa, it is often to instill pride, or dishonor. It is also a way of reprimanding offspring that has failed to live up to a parent’s favourable reputation. Biko’s Children, the title to Breeze Yoko’s film brings scrutiny to contemporary South Africa.
The film invokes the legacy of anti-apartheid activist Stephen Bantu Biko. Director Breeze focuses on two creative activists living in South Africa. The young Black South Africans exploit Biko’s image and statements through fashion and graffiti. They claim to promote Biko’s ideas in order to keep his legacy alive. Both acknowledge ideological contradiction from commercial aspects in their work. For them however, it is no worse than allowing Biko’s memory to fade.
Biko’s Children carries forward its message through layered footage. Video, stills, and text zoom in and out, sliding across the screen backed by audio and a mesmerizing soundtrack. The picture switches between color and monochrome. Various narratives are projected, sometimes simultaneously.The multiple angles convey a deep perspective.
Biko lived his truth and paid for it expensively. For him, being Black and the Black Consciousness Movement, was about attitude of mind and way of life. Figuratively Biko’s children can be from different nationalities worldwide. Breeze Yoko’s film throws a searchlight over diverse audiences. In a way it prompts the question — where are Biko’s children?
