To stand in the prison cell of former president Nelson Mandela at Robben Island is a privileged opportunity many will never know. As a result‚ a portable replica of Madiba’s cell will make its way to various schools across the country.Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba will unveil a replica of the cell at a Cape Town school on September 26 as part of Heritage Month‚ to enable young people who have never been to the Robben Island Museum to get a personal perspective of the history that unfolded there.According to the department‚ the launch forms part of an ongoing campaign led by Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan under the theme: “Madiba‚ the Good Citizen"‚ which seeks to encourage learners to value the rights and responsibilities that go along with citizenship.Speaking to TMG Digital this week‚ the creator behind the replica‚ Philip Keys from Moonlighting Film Productions‚ said the key purpose of the initiative is for students to see‚ feel and experience what it might have been like in that cell.However‚ Keys‚ who has been in the film production industry for over three decades‚ said that the initiative also forms part of “an educational drive” to inform students about the film industry and the opportunities that exist within it.“The cell has been built in such a way in that it’s pretty robust and it’s easily moveable. With the right vehicle towing it‚ it can get to fairly out of the way places. It goes around by way of explanation of what you can do in the film industry‚” he said.According to Keys‚ the design of the cell came from the plans that were used for the movie Long Walk to Freedom.“It was the same art department crew‚ the designers‚ the painters‚ the animation guys and cartoonists.“They all have roles in the film industry and we will use the cell as a way of describing that to the students as well‚” Keys said.“We designed the cell in such a way that it has a small lobby on the outside and a staircase going up on the one side. You then go into this tiny lobby and then you can go into the cell.“The door can be closed behind you‚ so you can have a reasonable amount of quiet and solitude in there and then you’ll come out the same door and go down another set of stairs so that there will be a flow‚” Keys added.He added that owing to its size and “the fact that it is very singular” the cell tends to have a “profound effect” on people who enter it. “As a privileged South African‚ that never had to spend time in a prison cell‚ it’s difficult to comprehend.“However much time you spend in there … be it a minute‚ an hour or a day‚ you can’t really move your thought process away from why you are there and what it meant‚” he said.Keys‚ now a managing director‚ said that with no formal qualification‚ besides a matric certificate‚ he started off in the industry as a driver.He then worked as a sound recordist until‚ “on a whim one day”‚ he took up the opportunity to start a production company in 1989 together with his friend and co-filmmaker Richard Green.“The key is to work hard‚ study hard‚ apply yourself and take advantage of the opportunities. It surprises me often how many people who have the opportunity do not really make the best of it‚” he said.“If you do get a foot in the door‚ as I entered as a driver‚ you can do this without formal qualification if you work your way in.“The production industry is just a business that requires people we can rely on and if you can present yourself as a reliable person‚ who is keen and works hard‚ there will be a position for you‚” he added.– TMG Digital..