A new South African documentary, Hearts Remember (Pelo ya hopola), debuted at the 17th International Conference on Ageing in Cape Town this week.
The film explores ageing in modern-day South Africa and explores dementia, a condition that progressively affects memory, thinking, and behaviour. Through the voices of people living with dementia, their families, caregivers, experts, and community leaders, it follows deeply personal journeys from diagnosis to daily management.
The conference, hosted by the Canada-based International Federation of Ageing (IFA), returned to SA after 27 years. It brings together global experts to address the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly ageing population.
This theme is echoed in Hearts Remember, which features the stories of iconic SA soccer coach Clive Barker’s experience with Lewy body dementia, Marinda Breedt’s Alzheimer’s journey, and TikToker Nduduzo Kay and his grandmother Zithi Elisabeth Khoza, who has lived with dementia for five years. The film is directed by Paul Modjadji.
TV and film icon Abigail Kubeka (Generations: The Legacy) narrates the documentary, telling of her experience of ageing and learning about the cognitive disease. Hearts Remembers gives a snapshot of how dementia is managed, particularly amongst elderly patients.
“It is timely to return to the African continent as the young population starts to embrace the future,” says IFA in a statement. “Today there are some 75-million people in Africa aged 60 years and over, and they will quadruple to around 235-million by 2050.”
Over 57-million people were estimated to live with dementia worldwide according to the World Health Organisation, in 2021, with nearly 10-million new cases each year.
Modjadji, an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health with the Global Brain Health Institute, says that Hearts Remember is a part of a slate of three projects aimed at raising awareness about ageing and brain health in SA.
He will release a short film The Last Holiday led by Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha and Dr Lillian Dube, and a six-part documentary series chronicling persons living with dementia in SA and their families.
Modjadji says: “Our aim is that through these projects we can get South Africans talking about brain health, ageing and dementia. The aim is to raise the profile of dementia advocacy in the country whilst dismantling myths and misconceptions about cognitive degenerative illnesses.”
Wandile Molebatsi, the film’s producer, says: “It is our hope that the film will inspire younger generations and the elderly alike to value the beauty of ageing. In this film, we meet inspiring individuals who are living full lives at all ages, defying the challenges presented by the condition.”
Hearts Remember was made possible with the support of The Alzheimer’s Association.