My one leg

No not another post about toes - sorry to disappoint. Rather some thoughts on language - or rather slang and grammar rolled into one - since we scriptwriters are often faced with these opposing concerns. On the one hand we (may) pride ourselves on our mastery of correct grammar - while on the other, there's a need to 'demonstrate a good ear for the cadences of whatever* patter' (as a reader once termed it) - write the way people talk.

Like many other places, Kaapstadt has spawned its own variations of familiar phrases. Recently my daughter came back from school talking about 'her one leg' - when she actually meant 'one of her legs'. Or she'll come out with something like; 'I saw this girl blinking her one eye.' Fortunately Cape Town is not populated with one legged Cyclopes. Another local particularity is the use of 'did' not for emphasis but to denote the past tense as in 'he did go to the shop then he did try on a new sock on his one leg.' The dids started to grate and fact I've now banned all use of the word from the house. So I can't even use it in scripts - ah well..

*insert locale/cultural/ethnic variation here

Initiation

Ok this is not something I normally do - and for readers outside South Africa - this post may hold little interest (and readers within South Africa are few in number anyway!).

Right now there is a quite a hot debate in moviezone about a 4 part TV drama series which the main local broadcaster developed and commissioned, aired the first 2 episodes of and then abruptly pulled from the airwaves. Apparently this was done in response to the concerns of several powerful organisations including Contralesa who objected to the subject matter.

So what is this controversial topic that is too 'hot' to be dramatised in the new South Africa?

Xhosa 'initiation' (or male coming-of-age ceremony.)

Update: "SABC1 took the decision to halt the broadcast of the local mini series 'Umthunzi Wentaba' due to objections raised by various interest groups and the general audience." Clara Nzima Programme Manager of SABC 1 explained that in line with the corporation's organisational value of "Conversations and Partnerships" (which encourages ongoing dialogue with stakeholders), it became necessary to raise the issues in the public domain through open discussion on 'Asikhulume'. After the consultative process the SABC re-briefed the producers of Umthunzi Wentaba, taking into account the valid views raised from all stake-holders."Starting on 3 May 2007, 'Umthunzi Wentaba' will enjoy an uninterrupted 4-week broadcast, in line with the original channel schedule strategy", says Nzima.


I have also written a script on the same topic - (albeit a completely different narrative take) My story was in fact about Sotho initiation. At the time I wrote a statement of intent which I am re-posting here - as a contribution to the debate:

A close friend of my family went off to his Sotho initiation and after 10 days, was brought back dead. Shocked by this untimely death, I wanted to delve deeper and over the last two years - talked to men who have been through initiation. I found out more - although the subject is pretty much taboo.

'Death during initiation' is both important and problematic to write about. As a woman I'm automatically an outsider. Here, a Xhosa storyteller could be accused of tribalism or attacking Sotho tradition. A Sotho storyteller could be criticised for 'selling out' or even betraying their own culture. I wrote to try to understand and as an outsider, I had to try to 'get it right'.

'The script tells a story which neither condemns nor condones tradition but which unearths some of the darker aspects of ritual. Just as in gangster initiation or even the army where young men, holed up together are forced to prove themselves under duress. Though it is not what happens on the 'inside' that interested me particularly but how men 'outside' (friends and family - in particular the father) try to cope with such a sudden and terrible death. Thus it is a story that explores men's relationships via the emotional landscape of loss.

For those interested in finding out more about the controversy there's a local news story here and another news story about initiation deaths here (may be slow to load)

Tongues

The course is going well despite taking up a massive chunk (all?) of my writing time each day. This is 'accelerated learning' and there's a constant switch of tempo and activities. Won't be able to gauge how much I've retained until afterwards I suppose.

Once upon a long time ago, I studied Italian in Leeds. There was a linguistics lecturer who - at the start of the lesson - hit the desk with a tuning fork, then waited until the reverb completely died away before he started speaking. Hmm I dropped out after one year and went to art college which was a whole lot more fun.

The fascinating bit of this course is seeing how everyone starts to speak a new tongue in precisely the same manner as they would their own - very hard to 'shake off' the self. There's a fair amount of acting needed to learn a language methinks.

Anyway will be posting the regular round up of local and international script and film opportunities and reminders soon.

Later.

...

uxolo ndigxamile, ndifunda isixhosa...


small prize for first correct translation. Back soon.

January

Schools are still out, so is the sun. And since it's the long 'builders holiday' here no one's really in a rush to get back to work, just yet.

Blog posts might be a bit sparse from next week, as I'm learning another language - crash course - three hours a morning, for three weeks! Hopefully by Feb I may even be able to sing along to this

Or let's see if I can get this youtube link right.



There's a better live recording here too but I can't put it up.

My mum says it was one of my father's favourites.

Miriam Makeba. Pitanga cherries. Red dusty feet. Kenema. Eish I can almost remember

Later.

+ Plus Minus -

And so back to the blog - after the 10 day re-editing blitz (in de-humidified Henley). Ah breeze. Ah sea.

A few disparate projects seem to be heating up here and there - but still too early to tell. The long holiday is fast approaching. Everyone will shut up shop for plus minus 6 weeks and I have a backlog of writing to get on with.

One of the phrases I've become accustomed to in the last five years is 'plus minus' usually used in reference to the vagaries of 'African time' or, less often - mooted script payment amounts. Ha. Another is 'per cent' - as in amounts of daily rainfall forecast. This can be 30 or 60 per cent rain in August or April. On occasion it is 100 percent rain. I've never yet been able to work out what the percentage refers to since 100% rarely means that it rains all day.

Anyway - coming soon a post on Africa Lite or rather a ramble about what types of African scripts currently seem to be attractive to local and international financiers. So to get you in the right mood here's a short burst of Skokiaan ....(if I can get the link right)

Laters.