The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Humanities recently became a space of profound reflection and resolve, hosting a special screening of Bones, a powerful documentary by master’s student Nomandla Vilakazi.
Held in the Sarah Baartman Hall on February 7, the event was part of the Sara’s Echo GBV Awareness Screening series. Beyond a simple viewing, the evening served as a poignant tribute to the late Dr. Diana Ferrus, whose literary activism was instrumental in the 2002 repatriation of Sarah Baartman’s remains from France.
A Mirror for Contemporary Society
Associate Professor Benita Moolman, Head of the Department of African Feminist Studies, opened the evening by framing the screening within a decolonial context. She drew a direct line between the historical dehumanization of Sarah Baartman and the contemporary brutality faced by women in South Africa today.
“Sarah’s story is, and has always been, a reminder to the community of the way we are dehumanised,” Moolman stated. “The dehumanisation and brutal violence against women that we still live with in South Africa today has a history that eclipses Sarah.”
Moolman highlighted how Dr. Ferrus’s landmark poem, “I’ve Come to Take You Home,” catalyzed a national reckoning, transforming Baartman’s tragedy into a rallying cry for reclaiming African narrative power.
Art as Ethical Engagement
The documentary Bones expertly weaves archival footage of Baartman’s repatriation with intimate reflections on Ferrus’s activism, connecting historical exploitation to modern-day gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide.
Professor Adam Haupt, Director of the Centre for Film and Media Studies, emphasized the urgency of art in a fractured world. “Art can change the world,” Haupt argued. “We need to seize moments such as these to celebrate artists and activists who bring love into the world.”
From Reflection to Action
For filmmaker Nomandla Vilakazi, the project is about more than just remembering; it is about restorative justice.
“Changing the name of a building can only be the first step,” Vilakazi argued. Through the Sara’s Echo project, she is taking these crucial conversations into high schools and universities across Cape Town, accompanied by workshops on consent and bodily autonomy.
The event concluded with a moving communal recitation of “I’ve Come to Take You Home,” ensuring that the legacies of both Baartman and Ferrus continue to empower new generations.
