The Empty Africa Myth
In one of the scenes in SKIN showing Sandra at her segregated primary school we meet Miss Ludik – the ‘teacher’ providing a crash course in the Afrikaner version of early South African history. In this short sequence SKIN’s audience receives an invaluable lesson in the origins of the Afrikaner’s sense of their inalienable right to the majority of the land of South Africa. Miss Ludik’s lesson is indoctrination and the following exercise examines the role of education as depicted in the film in helping the Afrikaners maintain their national and racial myths. It is a scene in which we also get a better sense of what Sandra is up against.
In the following table you will see two versions of the scene. Interestingly it is one that has survived pretty much intact between the 2001 first draft and the 2007 final draft. That said, the ways in which it has altered are significant too – so please keep a note of them.
