Mother City

The documentary “Mother City” follows activist Nkosikhona Swartbooi and other members of the movement “Reclaim the City” over six years as they fight for affordable housing in Cape Town. It shows how the city remains deeply divided 30 years after the end of apartheid, with much of the poor black population displaced to informal settlements on the outskirts. The activists stand up for dignity, participation and social justice despite repression, pandemic and political blockades. After the screening, director Miki Redelinghuys, activist and protagonist Nkosikhona Swartbooi and Katrin Schmidberger discuss the film, its political background and the situation in Cape Town and Berlin.