News Archives - "Skin" by Antony Fabian
On October 13th the IBFF screened "Skin" a film based on the true life story of Sandra Laing, who was born in South Africa during the apartheid era with a rare condition called polygenetic inheritance that made her appear black although she was had white parents.
What would explain why Sandra appeared to be Black, although her biological parents were white?
According to audience member Sigrid Junkerman, a Biology Professor at FIT, the term "polygenetic inheritance" is used to refer to the inheritance of quantitative traits that are influenced by multiple genes.
In the film a research scientist is called to testify in court about Sandra's race and to the disbelief of whites in the courtroom he explains that most Afrikaners have black genes and "throw backs or polygenetic inheritance" is the explanation of Sandra's appearance.
During the Apartheid era laws were passed i.e., Group Areas Act of 1950 segregated residential areas according to race, setting aside the best land for whites; Immorality Amendment Act of 1957 made relationships between members of different races a crime; Suppression of Communism Act of 1950, oppressed anyone perceived as a threat to the apartheid government.
At age 10 Sandra was confronted at school, because of her appearance, by her peers and teachers, and when faced with the rumor that she was black the child responded with shock, "I'm not Black".
However, she was taken to a doctor that classified race and expelled from school as a "Suspected Colored".
According to Professor Junkerman, "the way they tested a person to define a category of race during the time of apartheid seems very arbitrary, putting a pencil through someone's hair, then asking them to shake their heads, pulling up a chart to check for mouth structure, and skin shades."
Because, the "Population Registration Act of 1950" required all citizens of South Africa to be classified into categories according to their race Sandra's father, determined "Never To Give Up" until his daughter was classified as White again.
"Skin" takes the viewer on a rollercoaster ride through the life of Sandra Laing, as she is classified and reclassified according to Race, falls in love with a black man and is disowned by her family.
Audience member Wendell Gault said, "It was a rude awakening to see someone's life within this bizarre apartheid situation".
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