by Clarke Fountain
synopsis
This documentary explores the contribution of the magazine "Drum" to the cultural and political life of South Africa, especially as a rallying point for Black sophisticates. The magazine was put together in Sophiatown, a focal point for a black cultural renaissance which has parallels that that which took place in Harlem in New York in the 1920s. Among the highlights of this documentary is footage giving us a view of the young Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo as they conduct political meetings and confrontations. In a typical act of the apartheid regime, Sophiatown was eventually bulldozed into nonexistence, since it could be classified as an "unauthorized settlement." "Drum" magazine seems to have met a similar fate.
