Last night I attended the Dougy Center’s first movie night featuring Motherland, a film by Jennifer Steinman. As expected, I was moved to tears throughout the entire movie. I can’t believe I went without kleenex. I should have known better! It is an inspiring documentary about 6 mothers who come together on a journey to a village in South Africa to help at a daycare center where many of the children are orphans.
The one thing these Moms have in common is that they have all lost a child. Strangers before the trip, they become close friends sharing some of their most intimate thoughts and feelings about losing a child. They each have their own story to tell.
But what left a strong impression were the children of this South African community. Despite their impovershed living conditions, they seemed to have so much joy and happiness. Many of these children only had one meal a day and that was received at the daycare center. These kids didn’t fight with each other. In fact, they were helping each other out, singing songs and dancing together, and giving lots of hugs and love. Many of these children had suffered the loss of a loved one as well. As I sat their watching them, I realized how much I could learn from their amazing attitudes and simplicity of life.
As the movie points out, the difference in this South African village vs. the United States is that their whole community has experienced many losses. It is a way of life for them. They all join together and support one another. They sing, dance, pray and laugh together. As shared by the bereaved moms, in our country people don’t know how to deal with death, especially the loss of a child. So in turn, a bereaved person may feel isolated, alone and not well supported. Many withdraw from their community as way of coping.
These 6 bereaved moms were forever changed again from their experience in South Africa. Motherland is a truely moving and inspirational story of strength and survival. Thank you Jennifer Steinman for creating such a beautiful piece and for taking us inside the world, if just for a brief time, of these courageous moms.
