“It is my responsibility to carry the pressure on my shoulders albeit with the support of others.”
These are the words of celebrated Springboks captain Siya Kolisi on representation and the meaning of success.
Kolisi treated his hometown of Zwide, Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape to a private pre-screening of his documentary Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story a month before its official release.
In a venue filled with 1,000 proud community members, family and friends, Kolisi said the film was not just about him and his story but also about representation in sport and life.
The film premiered at a venue of Kolisi's choice, Isaac Booi Senior Primary School, where no-one was a VIP and everybody was a VVIP.
“Everyone is equal,” said the 31-year-old. “I don't think you have to be born in poverty to be a human being.”
Kolisi took media, film producers, friends and executives from MultiChoice and RocNation on a tour of some places that helped pave the way for him to become captain of the Springboks and one of the most influential sportsmen on the planet.
They included Grey High School and his family home in Zwide, which Kolisi plans to turn into a community centre.
The Grey High School alumni said one of his dreams was to build the first model C school in the neighbourhood.
“That's a dream ... something me and my wife said in the hotel room on the night before the World Cup final. That's what we wrote and said we will achieve if we win the final.”
Kolisi acknowledged building a school would not be easy, saying it would be a while before planning was put into action.
“In the meantime we can't stop and do nothing. We don't want to build just one school,” he said.
“I have the platform to, hopefully, be able to change the stories of children growing up in similar circumstances, but at the same time the biggest thing for me is to change the mindset while they’re still living in tough conditions.”
In the documentary, Kolisi opens up about his triumph and the childhood traumas he faced coming from a disadvantaged background. In one example, the audience was stunned by his depiction of using a pit toilet while growing up.
Other highlights include how the death of his grandmother affected him, domestic abuse his mother faced and the hardships of growing up with an absent father.
“I love my dad. I would do anything for him,” said Kolisi, adding his love for his father came from longing for him as a child.
The documentary will premiere on DStv on February 26.
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