Whites Only: Ade's Extremist Adventure

I thought this documentary was beautifully filmed, and a really eye-opening piece of journalism. I'd never heard of Orania before watching Whites Only - and wow, what a place! It's terrifying to see apartheid alive and kicking in 2024.

Ade was engaging and seemed genuinely interested to understand the residents of Orania. He's clearly passionate about the subject - but he was balanced and ready to listen. It must have been daunting to stay there for such a long time.

I found the last interview the most illuminating.

Overall, this was a great watch. Disturbing and shocking yes - but a really necessary and important documentary.

"To me, they seem like racists. But I'm going to set aside my prejudices."

But Ade stuck with his prejudice, nothing about Afrikaner history, the current political situation, farm murders, the dire state of the South African economy, the cronyism, water, Eskom, Zama Zamas etc etc.

He decided that Apartheid was evil and full of hate, yet never bothered enquiring why it came into force. My betting is he would he had watched the 1991 documentary "The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife" and decided to reprise the style adopted.

Just a typical hatchet job in the Afrikaner nation and her people.

This was a really interesting documentary about Orania, a 'Whites Only' South African town that a large proportion of the British public are likely unaware of. The documentary does a great job of showing different perspectives, as Ade interviews people who have lived through Apartheid, as well as younger residents who had spent most of their lives living in the very sheltered Orania.

The reactions of many of the residents to Ade and his request for interviews highlights the importance of such conversations, and of bringing these narratives to the general public. As well as being educational, I found this documentary incredibly emotive.