The war inside

PARTLY GOD is an emotional rollercoaster that follows a young man’s (Douglas Griffiths') search for his father (John Linden) and his journey toward redemption. On the way, he encounters a boy soldier whose wisdom helps him find healing within himself.
Award-winning actor and performance artist Chuma Sopotela gives an unforgettable performance as the boy soldier. She concedes that the role was a challenge. “A boy soldier? Where do I begin?
“For me, I’m not trying to play a soldier … I’m playing what I understand about what it would feel like to be a child forced to carry a gun," she says.
“I think about the soldiers in my own community … in Khayelitsha … There was a young boy, about 16 years old, who had an argument with his mother. He took a friend of mine’s car and was supposed to go and park it but he took it on a joyride instead. When we told him that was wrong, he responded in a violent way. We tried to reason with him but he wouldn’t listen.
“He’s a soldier in a way … fighting a war inside himself.
“We all have problems in our lives but it’s inhuman for him to react like that.” – by DEBBIE HATHWAY