PLAYING POPPIE

Clementine Mosimane and Nomsa Nene on how they tapped into their own experiences for the film Poppie Nongena

- BONOLO SEKUDU AND PIETER VAN ZYL

THEY’RE our mothers, grandmothers, spouses and siblings, our breadwinners and caregivers. They’re the women who spend their days cooking, cleaning and caring – often for the children of their employers who are many times oblivious to their daily struggles.

The effect of cruel apartheid laws is highlighted in a new movie based on the true story of a South African domestic worker. The laws rip her family apart and the heartrending story is a reminder of our painful past.

“After watching this, you are going to hate white people,” whispers one woman to her friend as the audience settles in to watch the SA premiere of the movie, which has already raked in multiple awards on the festival circuit.

But hate is not what Poppie’s journey is about, says veteran actress Nomsa Nene, who previously played the character in a theatre production.

Poppie Nongena, the name of this film, is based on a 1978 Afrikaans novel called Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena (The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena). It was written by Elsa Joubert, who was editor of DRUM’s sister publication Huisgenoot in the 1940s.

The hit book was turned into a play a year later, and Nomsa played the lead role.

This time around, she plays Poppie’s mom, Lena, and Clementine Mosimane portrays the lead character.

“Hopefully, this movie will help make the Poppies and ‘madams’ come together to get to know and understand each other better,” Nomsa says. “It should be a conversation between women, as it is in the book, between Poppie and [her employer] Mrs Swanepoel.”

Clementine says she’s honoured to play the role.

“It took deep emotion to truly understand what our mothers and grannies had to go through,” the actress says.