Another film-maker, another documentary from South Africa – Thanks to Vincent Moloi and “A Pair of Boots and a Bicycle” another part of our hidden history is revealed and with it more stories of heroism and betrayal. From what I have heard this is a brilliant and absolutely riveting film that tells the story of the Black WWII war veterans, who played a vital role in the war only to return to home and be rewarded with “a bicycle and a pair of boots”.
A Pair of Boots and a Bicycle is a documentary about Maseko, a miner and one of 128 000 black soldiers who enlisted to serve in the Allied Forces against the Germans in North Africa. These men were there to provide supplementary services and were not meant to participate in combat, which explains why they were trained with spears, unlike their white counterparts.
Maseko was cheated out of his Victoria Cross (the highest award for valour in the Commonwealth forces), receiving a comparatively paltry military medal instead. In return for a better life, Maseko probably received a pair of boots, a coat and a bicycle, while his white counterparts reportedly received houses and farms………….More on the film.
I read Vincent Moloi dropped out of media college in SA (Boston Media House) in 1997 “because of having to do two consecutive assignments on U2″… Why are African students being asked to write about bono when we have hundreds of our own musicians from across the continent that no one has ever written about? That’s why our stores never get told because people are too busy trying to obstruct us from focusing on our own history.
Tags: A Pair of Boots and a Bicycle
Vincent Moloi
Film
South Africa
Native Military Corps
