Invictus

Last night I watched invictus- the film about Nelson Mandela and the rugby world cup in South Africa.

It’s a good film to put things in perspective. At times politics in the UK can seem difficult and conflictual, but the situation is nothing compared to the problems faced in South Africa working to end apartheid.

A theme that came out prominently in the film is the desire to move past history and to reconcile; to act in the interests of the future of the country, not based on hurt from the past. Probably something we would all do well to remember, and not just in the field of politics. Not an easy thing to do nonetheless. We probably all have a lot to learn from countries that have successfully moved on from situations of internal violent conflict.