Morris Fynn Goes Native (2005)

Can a coloured man be a Zulu chief? Before Apartheid and from the time of Shaka, the Fynns ruled with a steady hand over a community in KwaZulu Natal. Garbed in the skins of the chieftaincy, their direct descendent, Morris, is determined to right the wrongs of the Group Areas Act and restore his family’s name, land and power. Many are sympathetic to Morris’ cause, but the fight is a complex one. He must fulfill three conditions of a government commission, and overcome the reticence of his family, the indifference of the community and arrogance of the current chief, who believes that Morris is a joke. With touching tenacity, Morris’ battles the system and the people’s perceptions and challenges us to wonder whether the black and white attitude of Apartheid colours our perceptions today.