RADiO FiLM
THE RETIRED REVOLUTIONARY
Director: Mayenzeke Baza Producer: Andy Jones Dur: 90 mins
The Last Testament of a Freedom Fighter
Archie Sibeko was on trial for treason in 1956. Alongside him in the dock were Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and Joe Slovo. When Archie’s case collapsed, he escaped and became a leader of the armed struggle in exile. We find him fifty years later in a sleepy northern English seaside town as he pens a final love letter to his children and his country. Mayenzeke Baza retraces Zola’s journeys and discovers a story of sacrifice and pain, in a full-length feature blending documentary and re-enactment.
Mayenzeke Baza grew up in a rural area of the Eastern Cape of South Africa and now lives and works in Johannesburg. After studying engineering, he discovered acting, playing the lead in a feature film before joining Mandela Bay Pictures where he pioneered an innovative film-making competition for school pupils.Mayenzeke is co-director of AAA Entertainment and also the Director of International Relations for the Association for Transformation in Film and Television (ATFT) in South Africa.