CAPE TOWN - Pre-eminent South African film producer Anant Singh cherishes 30 years of friendship with the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his family.
Singh, the recipient of South Africa’s first Academy Award Nomination and who has produced more than 80 films since 1984 - notably for anti-apartheid films like Sarafina! and Cry, the Beloved Country - shares intimate details on his relationship with the Archbishop Tutu.
“My family and I loved spending time with him. We had a standing joke that he should not be in a hurry as he had a ’first-class ticket to heaven’ and we needed him with us longer,” Singh writes.
“We are privileged to have had him as a very special friend, and were fortunate to have visited him at his home a few months ago and he was in good spirits,” he adds.
Singh goes on to reveal how the “Arch” was always supportive of his work, and how he always listened to the archbishop’s invaluable advice. He recalls how fortunate he was to have Tutu as his guest of honour 21 years ago at a special preview of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)-themed film, Red Dust.
“We will miss our Arch, his humanity, simplicity, honesty and his wicked sense of humour,” Singh says.
What stands out for the producer is the role Archbishop Tutu played in dismantling South Africa’s unjust apartheid regime, his passionate activism and demonstrating how a single voice could make such a massive difference.
“The best we can do to honour his legacy is to try and follow his example as we live our lives.,” Singh goes on to say.
IOL