How is South Africa’s ‘Barakat’ breaking boundaries?

On Monday, November 15, 2021 at 19:30 GMT:
The story of Aisha and her sons could be anyone’s story. The matriarch, recently widowed, tries to bring her fractured family together over Eid-al-Fitr to break the news of a new romance with a Christian man. Her four sons, each struggling to come to terms with the death of their father, refuse to accept the new relationship.

But the movie that features their story, ‘Barakat’, is special in many ways.

Barakat, which means blessings in Arabic, is told in Afrikaaps, a widely spoken Cape Town dialect of the Afrikaans language. It’s also the first film to be made entirely in the language, a mix of English, Dutch, Arabic, Malay and Afrikaans spoken by Muslims and mixed communities in the city.

The neighbourhood of Cape Flats, where the story is centred, is often associated with violence, crime and drugs. Instead, the film focuses on the Coloured community and celebrates their life, culture and family bonds.

In this episode of The Stream we’ll discuss ‘Barakat’ and ask why the narratives explored in the Afrikaaps language of the film are so important. Join the conversation.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Amy Jephta, @thegravegirl
Director, Screenwriter

Ephraim Gordon
Producer, Screenwriter

Vinette Ebrahim, @EbrahimVinette
Actress & Playwright