Jean-Yves Ollivier
UK Jewish Film screens South African political thriller ‘Plot for Peace’
The documentary ‘Plot for Peace’ introduces an outside view about the demise of apartheid, bringing a previously unknown, international perspective on South Africa’s transformation
Directed by Spanish director Carlos Agulló and Johannesburg filmmaker Mandy Jacobson, ‘Plot for Peace’ is a whole new take on the heritage of central and southern Africa.
The documentary thriller tells the true, untold story behind Nelson Mandela’s release from prison featuring a protagonist straight out of a John le Carré novel. His name: Jean-Yves Ollivier, also known as ‘Monsieur Jacques’. To some, such as South Africa’s former President Thabo Mbeki, he was a mysterious French businessman or a French spy. For others, he was a trusted friend and a man of bold vision. For the first time, heads of state, generals, diplomats, master spies and anti-apartheid fighters reveal how ‘Monsieur Jacques’ positioned himself to be the improbable key to Mandela’s prison cell.
Plot for Peace will be screened by UK Jewish Film at Tricycle Cinema on 24 April at 8pm.
Attending the event:
Jean-Yves Ollivier
At 17 years old, Jean-Yves Ollivier and one million other French nationals left their homeland Algeria after the country’s independence in 1962. During his first visit to South Africa in 1981, he recognized a similar fate — as he put it, white inhabitants ‘sleepwalking to the brink of disaster.’ To avoid their being ‘thrown into the sea,’ he saw the need for a peaceful negotiation to end racial discrimination and segregation. Using his professional connections as a commodities trader, he helped set up a system of parallel diplomacy between African front line states and negotiated an international prisoner exchange programme which paved the way for the 1988 signing of the Brazzaville Protocol and ultimately the release of Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s peaceful transition to democracy. He continues to work as a raw materials broker and intermediary.
Marina Cantacuzino
Marina Cantacuzino is an award-winning journalist who founded The Forgiveness Project, a UK-based non -profit that uses the real stories of victims and perpetrators to examine how ideas around forgiveness, reconciliation and restorative justice can be used to impact positively on people’s lives.
Marina also has a regular blog on The Huffington Post. In 2012 she spoke at the UN before Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about her work and is a contributor in the film documentary feature Beyond Right and Wrong directed by Roger Spotiswoode. She also co-created www.theforgivenesstoolbox.com and runs workshops exploring concepts of forgiveness.
