A 2nd synopsis: Afrophobia (continued)

Working title: AFROPHOBIA
A film by: Sechaba Morojele

This documentary wants to understand the current “agrophobic” climate that exits in South Africa and where it comes from [1]. The theory that this documentary wishes to propose is that afrophobia is the conclusion of our failure to decolonise our minds and our socio-economic realities.

The documentary will investigate this theory by looking at the lives of two different South African people from recently violently affected “agrophobic areas” who have been living in abject poverty since and before 1994. From these two case studies we will try to understand/explain how poverty in South Africa is deeply rooted in South Africa’s extended colonial history and how 14 years after the birth of our new democracy the situation has actually gotten worse: “The poverty traps set by apartheid remain an important explanation for the persistence (and the worsening) of poverty in South Africa [2]"

Though South Africa is a better country from a political and human rights point of view, one can however argue that a corresponding socio-economic transformation has not yet taken place. The main reason for this is the so-called “elite compromise” where the apartheid corporate sector managed to force the ANC to accept a neo-liberal and globally orientated economic policy for the “New South Africa”. This policy produced an economic system that systematically excludes the poor half of the population from mainstream economic and political activity and prevents the possibility of any comprehensive redistributive measures.

This “elite compromise” together with the inheritance of a self-perpetuating poverty trap and the failure to control the influx of many African foreigners into South Africa could be part of the answer to the growing frustrations and “explosive rage” that our country has experienced in the recent weeks.

The other part, as will also be investigated in this documentary through interviews with the relevant scholars, professors, etc, relates to the increasing levels of afrophobia in the country. Though many have argued that the high levels of poverty and the lack of service delivery are at the root of the current afrophobia attacks, afrophobia itself must have had a significant role to play in the violence. This afrophobia, one wishes to argue stems from anti-black racism that is still rife in South Africa and etched in the psyche of both black and white South Africans. “We have failed to humanise our society through genuine freedom which leads to material and psychological liberation" [3].

We cannot forget the role the media has played in igniting these current afrophobia attitude [4] and how it together with the middle class have shown a great sense of complacency towards the plight of the impoverished majority.

Though anti-black sentiments are a well known phenomenon within White South Africa, Black anti black sentiments need to be dissected to better appreciate afrophobia; how and when did Black South Africans start hating their fellow Africans and why and does this form part of a greater black colonised mind that harbours a great sense of self hate towards their own kind?

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[1] It is important that we distance ourselves from using the word Xenophobia as this describes hatred towards all foreigners.

[2] Julian May 2000

[3] Andile Mngxitama in City Press May 2008

[4] “There are certain sections of print media that must be found guilty of xenophobia due to anti-foreign stereotypes created in their daily reporting,” MMP executive director May William Bird told Bizcommunity.com May 2008

A 7th synopsis: Asikhulume - Let's Talk

Provisional title: Asikhulume - Let's Talk
A film by: Richard Green and Associates and the Durban University Technicon

Running Time: 12 minutes
Beta SP
Zulu with English sub-titles

5-6 jazz musicians in their 70’s prepare for a concert. They have all returned from exile.

They discuss the current wave of xenophobia and killings. They tackle all the key issues as they dress and tinker with their instruments. Inter -cut with these images and voices are shots of the people who have been displaced and their homes that have been destroyed. Our jazz men remember the days in exile and how they were housed and fed and clothed and protected by other African nationals.

Finally they get onto the stage - the audience from around Africa. Sakhile Langa gives a welcoming speech and asks two youngster to read from the constitution with regards to foreigners.

The band begins to play, images of the collective audience.

A look at the irony of Mbeki’s leadership as the Renaissance President, the hope of all in Africa, and now at his end the collapse of “Renaissance”

A 6th synopsis: Affectionately Known As Alex

Affectionately Known As Alex
A film by: Danny Turken, supported by NYU, Wits University and Luna Films

Running Time: 24 minutes
Post Production: in post currently,

Treatment
After apartheid was established in 1948, and the government implemented the process of displacing black South Africans out of the city, the first official township in Johannesburg was born; her name, Alexandra. Unofficially, Alexandra emerged in 1912 and was proclaimed as a “native township.”

The township was proclaimed prior to the 1913 Land Act, and therefore, residents were exempted from the act and were free to purchase land. Despite the fact Alex is approximately only 12 km outside of Johannesburg, as a result of the lack of municipality administration and the lack of influx control, she quickly became known as “nobody’s baby.”

Throughout the 20^th century, Alexandra endured gangster wars, a belligerent political culture, health hazards and a severe housing crisis. Dissimilar to other townships that landscape the city, the lack of housing in Alexandra was and continues to be the constant source of tension and frustration for both the residents and the community.

Initially, when I approached the idea of making a documentary on Alexandra, I was set on observing the Jukskei River and its relationship to the community. However, after spending more time in Alexandra and understanding the people, the film evolved into an observational piece attempting to understand the township and those who live and work in it.

Through the progression of the film, the narrative shifts from a harmonious depiction of Alexandra and unpacks the tenuous relationships that extend further beyond its “bonafied residents” (those living in Alexandra for several decades and whose families are from Alexandra) and those who have recently moved into the township. It is further complicated by the escalation of immigrants into the township compounded by the lack of homes, jobs and structural improvement, and eventually toward the xenophobia crisis the country is facing today.

Although the film illustrates the mounting tension within the community of Alexandra, further interviews with specific characters in the film—notably, the leader of the APF, the woman grilling chicken feet and the two men discussing the bureaucracy regarding applying for RDP homes—will provide a greater context and understanding of the origin and motivation for the turmoil and violence that is ripping apart South Africa and its people, and will do so through the voices of the people of Alexandra.

A 5th synopsis: Tino La Musica

TINO LA MUSICA (Working Title)
Film By Camera/Director Kyle O’ Donoghue and Dylan Valley and producers Miki Redelinghuys and Lauren Groenewald from Plexus Films.

Miki/ Plexus Films, Cape Town
Running time: 24 minutes

The film tells the story of Tino La Musica, a Congolese band based in Cape Town. Their story starts as the band, all refugees from Congo, play at their regular weekly gig at Club La Reference in Long Street Cape Town. They live and rehearse in a rundown block of flats in Gardens, but the mood is hopeful. Until suddenly they are evicted from their block of flats, a week before the countrywide xenophobic violence was to scatter and displace approximately 30 000 refugees around the country.

The double impact of these events cause the band to fall apart. Musicians have lost their home, their togetherness and even their instruments.

The film follows the story of Mohammed, the producer of the band, as he accompanies his sister to a community centre in Summer Greens, where she has found shelter for herself and her baby, Mohammed has found a temporary squat in a rundown building in Woodstock, he doesn’t know where the rest of the band is. Gradually he goes in search of the band members, hoping that they can get together again to play their weekly gig.

He finds Tantino, the lead singer at Cape Town station, selling cd’s. Mohammed convinces Tantino to sing something, but he stops after a short while, he cannot continue. Instead he leads the crew to a Congolese Cape Town, a make-shift mall offering everything from hairdressing to foreign exchange. The film continues to follow Mohamed as he looks for the rest of the band.

He finds Jino, a dancer, working on a construction site at the 2010 stadium in Green Point, Musa, the drummer, has taken a job as a security guard in Sea Point. Ironically the displacement caused by xenophobic attacks has caused these people previously earning a living from music gigs, to head into the job market as a means to survive. Mohammed is trying to muster up support from the group to perform again.

He is surprised to find the singer/dancer, Ladi, with a transformed appearance staying with Papi, the administrator of the band. Enthusiasm is low; Ladi has shaven his Big Star hairstyle and goatee, as a symbol of having left behind his old persona and Papi responds: “what we do best is singing and entertaining; now they just want us to die”.

The film follows their struggle to get it together again, searching for instruments and finding the will to sing and dance again. We hope the search will lead us to the missing guitarist, Zinga, who everyone lost contact with after the incident at DuNoon. He’s cell phone no longer works, so Mohamed will have to move from Refugee camp to camp to find him. He hopes he can have the group playing at Club La Reference again, and that they can continue building a future together.

The film is co-directed by Okepne Ojang, himself an immigrant from Cameroon, living in South Africa for the last 9 years. OJ himself is trying to find sense in all that has happened and trying to determine whether there is a future here for him and his South African wife and child. His presence and voice is felt in the film, as it is clear that his hope is tied in with the hope that Tino La Musica will play again.

A 4th synopsis: Between the Mountain and the Sea

BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS AND THE SEA (working title)
Film By Don Edkins, Omelga Mthiyane, Marianne Gysae, Riaan Hendricks (in order as pictured below)

HDV/Digibeta



South Africans have expressed the desire to reconciliate and re-integrate with the displaced foreigners who are living in dire conditions in refugee camps and community centres across South Africa.

What is the motive behind this reconciliation? Is it real? What awaits those who go back to the communities where the people who tried to take their lives and looted their belongings still live.

This film allows us to get close to the Soetwater refugee camp and the township of Masiphumelele where a dialogue and reconciliation process has started.

A 3rd synopsis: Two Brothers

Two Brothers
Joao Ribeiro and his Mozambique Team

Duration: 24 minutes
Delivery: Post Production:

Summary Synopsis

Sulemangy Mussa, 28, plasterer, Mozambican, working in Singamo (Durban) has planned to run with his friend Abdul (another Mozambican). They agreed to escape after collecting some of their things in the houses. Because Abdul didn’t return in time, Mussa has gone to look for him and discover his house on flames. They run to the police station and return but was already late. Abdul was burned alive in his house.

Abdul was married with a South African woman who has decided to stay.

These two guys where friends for long and their family are friends too. Mussa is returning now to Nampula where he and Abdul came from. He will now inform the family about that.

We’ve got contacts for Mussa father who is now waiting for his arrival without knowing about Mussa. We couldn’t stop Abdul to go and apparently he is on his way to Nampula. Will arrive in 2-3 days there. This story can be followed in to directions (Nampula – Abdul and Mussa family) and in Durban with Mussa widow who is perfectly localized.

A 2nd synopsis: Sechaba Morojele plans his film

SECHABA MOROJELE

Duration: 24 minutes

Basically I want to try and understand xenophobia and where it came from, showing;

It’s prevalence across all classes within “black” south Africa and trying to find reason for this: Is it due to being “boxed” up as a nation for so long? Is it because black South Africans feel better than the rest of Africa because of our so called western infrastructure?

The media’s role in promoting xenophobia and its (alleged catalytic) affect on the current attacks. Recently there have been complaints about this sent to the media ombudsman. How black foreigners being employed over locals at restaurants, in corporate south Africa, etc being a cause of certain frustrations.

Government’s role in fuelling deep distrust in the poor black communities for lack of or poor service delivery and poor economic policies. One will touch on why ANC (through an “elite compromise”) had to agree on a neo liberalism market fundamentalism economic policy as a prerequisite to end apartheid and how this policy was inherently bias against the second economies of the country. This inclusion is important to try and understand whether poor service delivery is simply due to the ANC or whether they inherited a system that made delivery virtually impossible in the first few decades of this new democracy.

How corruption in the housing industry is a cause of great grievance (in Hillbrow Nigerian landlords rent accommodation to foreigners and corruption within the RDP houses has given priority to foreigners).

The effect of the poor monitoring of the influx of foreigners since 1994 and how this has sparked resentment in the locals who feel they have to fight with foreigners for basic resources.

A 1st Synopsis: Xoliswa's story

Xoliswa story – women and their vulnerability
Film By Xoliswa and Carolyn Carew Born Free Media

Duration: 24minutes

I will follow 2 women

One is called Tembeka Junku who has a son who is 8years old, she is from Bulawayo, she had been living in Alex for the last 19years. The son is called Elson Bafana, her husband died in 2001. She is working as a cleaner; on Sunday 11May people came in her house and took clothes, on the following day the people came in and told her to leave (she had built her house) and they took money and they beat her.

They beat her up in front of her child and the police station could not assist her because the police force felt that the Xenophobia was too far spread and they could not help. She stayed at the police station for 2 weeks and on Sunday they moved her to Usindiso (a shelter for women in town).

Her son is not going to school, his school is in Alex. Were she is now she is not happy, she does not like the food, they have to wake up at 4am to bath and out of the bath by 8am, they have breakfast, lunch and supper, however she says that she does not like the food i.e they are allowed only one spoon of rice and she feels that she can not wake up her child at 4 am.

She is not sure where she will go and she is worried about the fact that her child is missing school.

2nd Story….Winnie Mandela took in a Congolese family. The woman who was taken in has a one year old child and Winnie felt that that the child would have died through to exposure (one of the characters I was going to film a woman called Lydia Chimanyange from Zimbabwe lost her 4 month old baby due to exposure at Cleveland police station). I am in the process of trying to get permission film the woman Winnie Mandela took in.

The film will explore the journey of these 2 women; I will also follow the 8 year old boy who witnessed his mother being beaten up by the people in Alex. The aim of the film is to explore the vulnerability of these women and the kindness of the South Africa person (W. Mandela) who took in the other family whilst the other woman is not sure of her future. She does not want to go back to Zimbabwe.