Sea Point Days

This visually captivating five-part essay introduces us to Cape Town's Atlantic coast and a plays called Sea Point, which was an exclusively white area during the Apartheid era. At first glance, it looks like the past has been wiped away - people of all colours use the public swimming pool and we see mixed groups of friends and even couples. Upon closer examination, however, we find a society that is less diverse, especially in terms of its hierarchy. With fair hair and blues eyes, the mayor represents a social ideal, just like the white people on advertising billboards in the streets. The forces of law and order are predominantly white, while most of the homeless people thrown out of public amenities are black. This documentary presents pictures of a cross-section of people of various religions, ranging from Islam to Judaism and Christianity. Faith in this place is something that unites more than it divides. Senior citizens living nearby in a home with carers are gradually taking their leave of this world and saying: "Africa is not a place for the white man." Categorisation according to ethnicity is still deeply engrained in people, despite the fact that it is often covered by layers of false morality. There is an inability to tolerate others or to relinquish prejudice. When the generation of children romping on the promenade by the ocean grows up, will they be able to look at themselves and those around them without resorting to stereotypes?