What is Heritage Day? Well, it’s when all the king’s horses and all the king’s men decided fuck it, we’re having a braai. Now, to those who don’t understand or know the meaning of the word braai, it can be one of three things, namely:
Braai:
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It’s a tradition in South Africa and it’s a bit different to the rest of the world’s equivalent to standing around an open grill. Firstly, us lot don’t really believe in the whole “fake-braai-ing” business (in other words those electric and gas barbecues have no place amongst a man’s arsenal of braai equipment). Politically incorrect perhaps, but a braai uses an open flame, one preferably built to outdo the neighbours’. Then we have meat, actual real meat… not one-minute steaks or viennas (hot dogs) and patties (hamburgers)… oh no, we like our meat as thick and juicy as a Neanderthal enjoys his mammoth’s hide! There’s a reason that South Africans don’t produce many vegans or vegetarians though, it’s just too tasty to pass up on a Blue Bull steak and some first-class boerewors. Also, it’s a part of who we are, what we are made of and ultimately it’s the one thing that brings the country together once a year…
South Africa may be a country with many bad things associated with us, but we work through it and it’s a day-to-day struggle. Come 24 September though, we join together, crack open a few cold ones, sit around the fire and remember what makes us a nation to be proud of. We remember that we are the “Rainbow Nation”, that we all come from different pasts and that it is okay to be different. Zulu’s, Xhosa’s, Venda’s, Tswana’s, Boere, South African Brits, Ndebele’s, Khoi, San, and all the other folks that makes South Africa who we are, come together and just accept one another. Great, huh? I think so!
Come Heritage Day, Killer Aphrodite is going to celebrate what makes us South Africans different to the rest of the world through reviewing some of South Africa’s favourite films! What better way to do it than to show the rest of the world we’ve got all the right stuff? It’s fun, fun, FUN!
On the list of films that will be reviewed are:
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
The classic film that put us on the map, The Gods Must be Crazy, is a must see for any film buff! A comic allegory about a traveling Bushman who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries.
The Gods Must Be Crazy 2 (1989)
Xixo is back again. This time, his children accidentally stow away on a fast-moving poachers’ truck, unable to get off, and Xixo sets out to rescue them. Along the way, he encounters a couple of soldiers trying to capture each other and a pilot and passenger of a small plane, who are each having a few problems of their own
Tsotsi (2005)
Six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader (Chweneyagae). This film was not only nominated for Best Foreign Film in 2006, but actually won it. In universities across South Africa, Tsotsi is used in media classes to show that it is possible to be something other than what the world expects of you.
Vaatjie Sien Sy Gat (2008)
A spin-off film from Poena is Koning, we go on an adventure with Vaatjie, who seems to just have a horrible few days as he is accused of being a criminal, gets kicked out of chef-school and ultimately gets it into his head to steal a plane and get over the border as soon as he can. Possibly one of the funniest films in recent years, Vaatjie Sien Sy Gat, has something that makes it unique in many ways.
Bakgat! 2 (2010)
Wimpie Koekemoer enters the challenging world of university rugby, where dreams seem unreachable and the chosen legends of tomorrow are shaped. The sequel to the much loved Bakgat!
District 9 (2009)
World renowned sci-fi film, District 9 is one of those instant classics that not only show diversity, but also a unity amongst people and aliens. It’s about an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.
There’s something for everyone, for young and old, for those who like romance, sci-fi, horror, drama, thrillers, comedy, and more. Let’s celebrate our differences and unite against the odds South African style!
