Endgame - The Beginning of the End of Apartheid

In those days, nearly everyone agreed that the end of Apartheid could only be brought about through bloodshed. Many people on both sides of the conflict would be slaughtered. Some Afrikaaners even spoke of setting off an atomic bomb - destroying themselves in the process - as an alternative to ending the Apartheid regime.

South Africa was arguably the regime most steeped in group mentality - the mentality of "us and them".

Keeping people apart on the basis of "race" was the official policy, and the government went to extraordinary lengths to maintain it.

There was increasing pressure on the South African regime from international sanctions, although these were not honoured by the British government.

Within this context, a series of talks began. So secret were they that, even years later, after the election of Nelson Mandela, few South Africans were aware that they had been held.

Michael Young, of mining company Consolidated Gold, approached the various parties and set up the talks. Click here to see a video interview with the real Michael Young.

William Esterhuyse, an influential Afrikaaner played by William Hurt, initially refused to attend. But in the end, he joined them.

In a house in the English countryside, carefully selected members of South African society were invited to meet up to talk about improving the situation. In distrust, hatred and fear, they viewed one another as deadly enemies.

Those involved in the talks acted whilst in constant danger of being killed by those who did not want change. At one point, Willie Esterhuyse was warned always to check under his car for bombs before getting in. He also received telephone death threats. They endangered not only themselves, but their families and friends.

Yet, despite all their misgivings and the very real dangers, they met up with a view to ending the violence.

The ANC had used nonviolent methods for many years, but these had proved ineffective. They had therefore adopted a policy of bombing selected targets. They had emphasised to their members for many years that violence was they only thing that would bring about the end of apartheid. This was similar to what happened in the history of Kenya.

The Black people knew the whites would continue to cling to their white supremacist attitudes which they relied on as justification for the apartheid system.

The white people in the room feared the ANC, whom they knew were committed to continuing to use violence. The African people, including Thabo Mbeki of the ANC, knew the whites were among those keeping the apartheid policies in place - policies which involved the murders of school children and the detainment and torture of those who openly opposed the regime. Mbeki was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Whites in South Africa were terrified of the possibility of one-person-one-vote, as they were clearly in the minority. If African people had the vote, they would overwhelmingly be in the majority. Apartheid was the only way for whites to maintain the privileges they enjoyed. However, they were aware of the dangers of using such repressive methods to maintain their power.

The white people involved in the talks wanted to discuss reforming apartheid to make it more inclusive. Black Africans would be able to have representatives in Congress, alongside the Asian and mixed-race members.

But Thabo Mbeki was very clear: he was not there to discuss reforming Apartheid. His aim was to end it.

Meanwhile, the South African government was also holding secret talks with the imprisoned Nelson Mandela. The film depicts Mandela being moved into a warden's hut which served as an open prison for him, complete with his own private assistant. Mandela's family even visit him there. But while digging in his garden, he becomes aware that his every move is being watched.

The film also depicts how, in this new situation, he is able to smuggle letters to his supporters such as Oliver Tambo. Yet he knows he is still a bird in a gilded cage.

Thabo Mbeki and Willie Esterhuyse eventually learned to trust, respect and even like each other. They remain friends to this day.

It is said that the IRA consulted the ANC regarding the IRA's own peace talks.

In Endgame, we see the participants seeing on TV together the moment when Nelson Mandela is released from prison.

The events depicted in this film prove that it is possible to prevent and resolve violence through communication. Even people at opposite poles in a disagreement can learn to see each other as individuals, thus going beyond group mentality. For more on going forth from the group, see The Key to Confidence.

The founder of Nonviolent Communication, Marshall Rosenberg, has worked with people in many different parts of the world, including places that have a history of extreme violence, such as Israel and Palestine, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Burundi. For more about this, see Nonviolent Communication.

For more stories of courageous individuals standing up to the group, see Hotel Rwanda.