Reading Invictus and Brutus: An exploration of the politics of heroism and globalization in sport
As a global mega-production, the movie “Invictus” focuses on Mandela's adroit use of rugby as an avenue to promote racial harmony in South Africa after decades of racial discrimination. At the other end of the spectrum, Dennis Brutus, the famous poet, refused to be inducted in the South African Sports Hall of Fame “alongside unrepented racists” in 1997. Both actions, located in a different repertoire, converge in their effort. In an attempt to understand both the movie and the poet and his work, this paper seeks to explore how heroism is used on local and global scenes of sports to foster or reappropriate grassroots efforts for social change.