Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Camps Bay Beach Trip
Jao Zinu and Rebekka Baru
Riekert Moyo
Everyone on the beach, our busdriver Andrew Cupido
and Tommy Katjara and Riekert Moyo.
Camps Bay
Dené Theron, Sound Designer and Jez Cox, Technical Director
Wentzel Katjara, enjoying the ocean sand and waves..
Sunday, June 6, 2010
On The Bus
Jao was always looking out of the window.
Harold Dikua looking comfortable.
Nadine Bottcher our production assistant
The cast looking happy to be travelling.
Rosedene Guest House
Breakfast every morning at Rosedene Guest House.
Riekert on the hammock
Son Of The Wind in the newspaper.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Trip to the Aquarium, V&A Waterfront
Riekert Moyo
Harold Dikua with frog
The Cast had a wonderful day at the Aquarium
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Synopsis of Son Of The Wind
Dala, a young !Xun man on the verge of entering the adult world goes on a journey to the bush with his grandfather. The head-strong young man has little idea that Chamba is using this opportunity to show his grandson that the mythology and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation are still relevant and, unless saved from being drowned in a westernizing world, could soon be lost forever.
On his first night in Angola, Dala encounters the Jackal, a mischievous trickster with the ability to interpret dreams and by doing so, allows Dala to step into his grandfathers’ past. The young man realizes the enduring power of friendship and learns of the enormous suffering his people endured during the war that raged across Angola. Dala also learns of Chamba's tragic love affair and how his true grandmother becam another faceless victim of the war.
In the final scene, Chamba dances his way toward death bearing a wedding gift for the love he lost three decades before, and Dala sets out on yet another journey, the journey home to his people, to his past, to his heritage, and to his future.
On his first night in Angola, Dala encounters the Jackal, a mischievous trickster with the ability to interpret dreams and by doing so, allows Dala to step into his grandfathers’ past. The young man realizes the enduring power of friendship and learns of the enormous suffering his people endured during the war that raged across Angola. Dala also learns of Chamba's tragic love affair and how his true grandmother becam another faceless victim of the war.
In the final scene, Chamba dances his way toward death bearing a wedding gift for the love he lost three decades before, and Dala sets out on yet another journey, the journey home to his people, to his past, to his heritage, and to his future.
Son Of The Wind for the community
The Elders and traditional leaders of the community have begun lobbying the government to be acknowledged as indigenous peoples and thus be given representation within government. The !Xun and the Khwe have come a long way since the first dark days in the tents of Schmitsdrift but the community is still impoverished and terribly fragile. The greatest fear of the Elders now is that in their race toward the modern world, the cultural, indigenous knowledge, traditions and stories, which have kept them alive for centuries, will be lost forever.
The performers learn the skill of acting and story development the value of dedication toward a goal, greater confidence in themselves and respect for their people and their culture.
After participating in Son of the Wind a group of formally unskilled members of the San community can take back to their community income, skills and knowledge that can form the foundation for future productions, projects, and development.
The performers learn the skill of acting and story development the value of dedication toward a goal, greater confidence in themselves and respect for their people and their culture.
After participating in Son of the Wind a group of formally unskilled members of the San community can take back to their community income, skills and knowledge that can form the foundation for future productions, projects, and development.
Historical Note
When the war for independence erupted in Angola in the 1960s most of the San maintained their traditional lifestyle as hunters and gatherers, unaware of the political situation, while a war raged around them.
But when a village of 300 !Xun was massacred by independence fighters in the 1970s the San were thrust into the modern world and into the war. This event has been virtually ignored by history because the San, or “Bushmen” have always rested on the lowest rung of the African ladder. Their involvement in the Angolan war has never been fully understood.
When the Portuguese pulled out of Angola the San faced the threat of persecution from every corner because they had fought with the colonialists. Shortly after, through an agreement in which they had little say, the !Xun & Khwe found themselves bound to the South African Defense Force. A “Bushman Battalion” was formed and San marched to war in Namibia. Once again, ill informed of the political dynamics.
Later, in the 1990s, the SA military promised houses and employment for those wishing to make a new life in South Africa. Instead, they languished in the desert living in tents for 14 years and the “Bushmen Battalion” was disbanded leaving in its wake, poverty, a population with no tangible job skills, and a deep despair.
Five years ago the !Xun & Khwe moved to Platfontein, farm land purchased by pooling their resettlement grants. The community still faces many, many challenges but they are making progress.
But when a village of 300 !Xun was massacred by independence fighters in the 1970s the San were thrust into the modern world and into the war. This event has been virtually ignored by history because the San, or “Bushmen” have always rested on the lowest rung of the African ladder. Their involvement in the Angolan war has never been fully understood.
When the Portuguese pulled out of Angola the San faced the threat of persecution from every corner because they had fought with the colonialists. Shortly after, through an agreement in which they had little say, the !Xun & Khwe found themselves bound to the South African Defense Force. A “Bushman Battalion” was formed and San marched to war in Namibia. Once again, ill informed of the political dynamics.
Later, in the 1990s, the SA military promised houses and employment for those wishing to make a new life in South Africa. Instead, they languished in the desert living in tents for 14 years and the “Bushmen Battalion” was disbanded leaving in its wake, poverty, a population with no tangible job skills, and a deep despair.
Five years ago the !Xun & Khwe moved to Platfontein, farm land purchased by pooling their resettlement grants. The community still faces many, many challenges but they are making progress.
Son Of The Wind General Description
Son of the Wind is a multilingual, multimedia theatrical production that combines the modern art of film with the ancient San tradition of storytelling. The characters inhabit a world lost deep in the bush, a place at the border between past and future, where Jackals are dream catchers, woodpeckers bring news of death and where one man’s story has waited silently for thirty years to finally be heard.
Between October of 2007 and June 2009 the South African San Institute (SASI) requested Misty Brodiaea, who at the time, was a volunteer with the United States Peace Corps, to research, write and direct Son of the Wind.
The production was conceived as a vehicle in which the story of two misbegotten San tribes, the !Xun & Khwe, could be showcased to a wide audience, thus generating income, and greater awareness of the community, its struggles as well as its talents and resources.
Son of the Wind is based on historical fact and personal accounts of members of the community. The actors in the production are novice non-professionals who trained and rehearsed for over six months in preparation for their debut. Son of the Wind is truly a unique telling of a compelling story because it is their story and it is told them.
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