LISTEN: Durban's legendary Sarafina! producer, Anant Singh, releases a memoir

LISTEN: Durban's legendary Sarafina! producer, Anant Singh, releases a memoir

He used his time during lockdown to pen the detailed book reflecting on his life and career.

Anant Singh
Ezekiel Kekana

The name Anant Singh has been in hundreds of film credits in South Africa. He is a legendary film producer all the way from Durban and recently released a memoir, In Black and White, detailing his life and career. 

The films, Place of Weeping, The Stick, Cry the Beloved Country, Sarafina! and Yesterday are all films produced by Singh. One can imagine how interesting this memoir will be as he was an Indian man during apartheid who challenged the entertainment industry greatly. 

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His journey with film started with him screening Charlie Chaplin's movies on a makeshift screen at their house in Springfield, Durban.

He later became the owner of a local film rental store which beamed into a business that distributed to cinemas in Africa - and later international cinemas. 

This is when he dove into the producing pool and created Videovision Enterprises. 

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You might not be much of a reader but the holiday season is upon us and it might be one of the few you want to add to your reading list or at least see on your bookcase. 

This is because, regardless of the quality films he has produced, Singh questioned the relevance of his memoir. 

Young artists who look up to the producer will be intrigued by his journey of making meaningful films and art during a time that was hard for him to freely express his views. But, these films remain iconic in representing Black people, Colored people and Indian people during apartheid. 

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One of the reviews of the memoir is by Quincy Jones, who wrote the prelude to the memoir read: 

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The producer of the multi-award-winning Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom surely has much to say in his memoir. 

Darren will hopefully be sharing the review with you after the holidays. 

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Main Image Courtesy: Ezekiel Kekana Facebook

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