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Come Back, Africa (1959)
Rogosin & Drum document the magic that was Sophiatown
Lionel Rogosin in co-operation with the staff of the iconic Drum magazine of the 1950's create an accurate and unbiased portrayal of township life in South Africa under apartheid. Written by Lewis Nkosi and Bloke Modisane and starring a collection of South Africa's brightest black urban stars of the fifties, this film broke new ground in the manner in which it showcased African urban identity and the hardships and realities of township life in the magical place known as Sophiatown. Rogosin had entered South Africa and shot this film under false pretences while constantly being hounded by strict apartheid legislature. Sophiatown was destroyed by the apartheid government in 1957 and replaced by the white suburb triomf (triump). This film is one of the few documents left that survive a township where black, white, Indian and coloured residents lived together decades before the 'rainbow nation' ideology of modern day South Africa.