Skin Questions

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Skin questions SKIN is one of the most moving stories to emerge from apartheid South Africa: Sandra Laing is a black child born in the 1950s to white Afrikaners, unaware of their black ancestry. Her parents are rural shopkeepers serving the local black community, who lovingly bring her up as their ‘white’ little girl. But at the age of ten, Sandra is driven out of white society. The film follows Sandra’s thirty-year journey from rejection to acceptance, betrayal to reconciliation, as she struggles to define her place in a changing world. Please answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper and in complete sentences. 1) How do the students at Sandra’s school treat her because of her skin color? Give specific examples. 2) Sandra’s father says to his wife about Sandra, “I’m going to get her reclassified as white.” Sannie, Sandra’s mom, responds, “How will that change the color of her skin?” What does this imply about skin color and South Africa’s system of racial classification? 3) When Sandra is shopping for dresses with her mom, why does she have to look at the dresses outside the store through the window while her mom is inside? 4) What are two ways in the film that Sandra or her parents try to make her appear more white? Explain why this is done. 5) Why do Sandra’s parents want her to be with a white boy so much and not Petrus? 6) Sandra’s mother says to her, “You can’t help what you are born with but you can help what you become.” What does she mean by this? 7) Why does her father burn all pictures of Sandra and her clothes? 8) Why does Sandra want to be reclassified as “Coloured” after her parents had fought for her to be classified as “white”? 9) What is the difference between where Sandra’s parents live and where Petrus lives? 10) Why is the township where Petrus and Sandra live destroyed by bulldozers and the police? 11) Explain the following political cartoon, which depicts South African prime minister B.J. Vorster, who led the country in the 1960s and 1970s, and how he ruled the country during apartheid. How does this cartoon connect to Sandra Laing’s story? .

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1. The interviewer asks Anthony Fabian to explain the origins of his interest in the story of Sandra Laing and how he first heard her tale on a BBC radio documentary? Anthony Fabian discusses the impact on him of hearing a BBC radio documentary programme called No Triumph, No Tragedy. It usually featured the stories of people with disabilities and Fabian’s answer explains why Sandra Laing’s experiences were included in this series. He describes his reaction to the programme – how he was moved to tears - including the first thoughts of Sandra’s story being suitable for some sort of film treatment. (Time 00.00-02.21) 2. You have a history of documentary making. Why did you not consider making a documentary about Sandra Laing instead of a feature film? (Also see Question 17) Anthony Fabian outlines some of the films he has made in addition to documentaries. Next he explains why he felt Sandra’s story was important enough to justify the length of time it can take to make a film. He mentions other documentaries that have been made over the years about this story including one in the 1970s by Anthony Thomas called The Search For Sandra Laing, and why these precedents made him more eager than ever to make a feature film rather than another documentary. He also explores the power of feature films – their ability to reach a wider audience. (Time: 02.02 – 04.35) 3. What ‘liberties’ did you have to take with Sandra Laing’s real story when creating the screenplay – are there changes or omissions that you regret? Anthony Fabian discusses the extent to which Sandra Laing’s story (spanning 30 years) had to be adapted to fit into the limits of a one hundred and forty-five minute film.
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