The director of The People vs Patriarchy documentary chats to us about the lessons he learnt while directing the documentary.
By Fundiswa Nkwanyana
The documentary People vs The Rainbow Nation inspired me to focus on patriarchy. Directing People vs The Rainbow Nation opened my eyes to the social politics that govern our lives. There was a chapter on patriarchy in the first documentary that I wanted to explore further because it was a topic that needed more attention.
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Directing the documentary was very emotional for me. I tried my best not to let my fragility get in the way of making this impactful documentary. I allowed myself to feel all the emotions that were coming at me. I gained strength by allowing myself to be weak.
I strongly believe that people should watch this documentary because patriarchy is a very limiting view on life. I think a lot of people, particularly men, start this educational journey on patriarchy by learning a few new terms and they start to think “I have done the work, I am a good guy”. It’s not that simple, it’s a lifelong journey and even after I have directed this documentary, I still fail and make a lot of mistakes. However my level of self-awareness is improving and I have opened myself up to learning more and doing better. As a man, I’m now aware of the way in which my actions have the potential to affect others especially woman.
