Last night I answered questions at the end of a screening...

Last night I answered questions at the end of a screening of Mandela at the Frontline Club, a club mainly for foreign journalists, and we had a highly intelligent, at times combative exchange about the film. One question put to me was that the film may become, for the next generation, all they ever know of Mandela, and how did I feel about that responsibility. Pretty burdened, is the answer. I realise how much I want people to take from the film what to me is its core message, that at the root of oppression lies fear – the fear by the oppressors of the oppressed – which seems the wrong way round until you think about it – and that Mandela’s achievement was to remove that fear. It’s all there in the film, but will the audiences get that? Will and Kate are the royals coming to the premiere on Thursday week. Will they get it? I’ll never know – I don’t think they hang around to chat after it’s over.

Meanwhile in my other life – or one of my other lives – the Today programme wants me to talk about the Bad Sex award, and my Guardian article on it, this Saturday morning. Unless something of greater global significance breaks, of course.