A main character in the film 'Cry Freedom' directed and produced by Richard Attenborough was Donald Woods. Donald Woods is a 41-year-old white Afrikaan editor. He is married with 5 children, 2 girls and 3 boys. They all live together in a huge mansion with a pool in the yard. They also have an African maid named Evelyn. He has greying hair, glasses and a cheerful personality. He also considered himself a white liberal.
At the beginning Donald Woods was blind and ignorant to what Stephen Biko, black political leader, was about. He thought he was "some sensationalist pushing black prejudice". When a time came and he had to write an article for his newspaper, he just assumed what Steve would say. He didn't know or understand Steve so as a result, all his assumptions were wrong. A black doctor and friend to Steve Biko, Ms Rampele, confronted Woods about this.
Steve Biko
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Steve Biko Academic Hospital 2She told him that if he is the honest editor he claims to be, he should meet and get to know Steve and his cause before spreading vicious rumours in his newspaper. This led Donald Woods to become close friends with Steve Biko and a respected man among Black Consciousness members.
Donald Woods learnt a lot from Steve Biko. Not just about Black Conscious and the rights that had been stolen from the black natives of South Africa, but about living peacefully. During one of the first illegal outings Steve took Donald on, Steve told Donald in a light-hearted tome that someday the tables would be turned and that one day blacks will hold government over that Afrikaans but they would do it differently. They would accept the Afrikaans and forgive them for their past.
Donald realised how faulty the Afrikaan government was after visiting with Captain...