Film-maker Rasethaba embarks on heritage journey

SOUTH Africa commemorated Heritage Day on September 24. Although people wear traditional garb and eat African cuisine to celebrate their different traditions on the day, many still don’t know much about South African heritage.

Some traditions are dying and if they are not preserved, the next generation may not even know they existed.

South African film-maker Lebogang Rasethaba partnered with Castle Milk Stout to produce a short film titled Last Stories of Culture.

The film follows the stories of matriarchs Latozi Mpahleni, wellknown as Madosini, an acclaimed and award-winning musical legend, and Ouma Katrina Esau, the last person in the world who can fluently speak the endangered N|uu language.

Nluu is a South African language that is 25 000 years old.

Rasethaba went on a journey to help preserve the Nluu language and learn more about umrhube, a traditional instrument popular in Xhosa culture.

He first went to Upington to visit Esau, who gave him a task to capture the moments using the words tradition, future, love, water, stars, dreams and many others, to help preserve the N|uu language.

“It was such an honour to be trusted by Ouma Katrina with something that is so dear to her, sending me out to capture Nluu words in the form of images in an attempt to try and preserve the language for the coming generations,” says Rasethaba.

The Soweto-born film director then proceeded to the Eastern Cape to meet Madosini, who instructed him to go to the uMkhantatho River and look for a tree to make umrhube and uhadi.

Umrhube and uhadi are forms of a traditional instrument made from a tree called Luhlolo (the wood that sings). Madosini says she learned to play the instrument during her youth. When she got married, she stopped playing it because according to the Xhosa tradition, married women aren’t even supposed to touch it.

However, since the tradition of playing umrhube is dying, Madosini says she was instructed by her ancestors in her dreams to continue playing the instrument – so that the next generation could learn and preserve the culture.

“It makes me happy that you are going to share this story wide and far. Even those who are not here must know about it. This story must not die with me. I want it to spread like wildfire,” Madisini told Rasethaba.

Rasethaba added: “It gave me comfort to realise that I had done my part in archiving our rich heritage for the coming generations in the best way I know how.”

Rasethaba spent five years in China, completing his Master’s in film studies. He has worked on several documentaries such as The People Vs Patriarchy, The People Vs The Rainbow Nation, Future Sound of Mzansi, and Prisoner 46764: The Untold Legacy of Andrew Mlangeni.

In addition to the short film, Castle Milk Stout also partnered with South Africa’s leading denim brand, Tshepo Jeans, to create a bespoke collection that carries the message from the small screen to the streets through fashion.

Tshepo Mohlala, the founder of Tshepo Jeans, says he saw fit to be

part of Castle Milk Stout’s Last Stories of Culture because durability is one of the main characteristics of denim hence you’ll often find it being passed on from one person to the next.

“Using denim to preserve these stories in order to weave them into the fabric of who we are as Africans inspired the range. This is not just a collaboration, it’s brands who are invested in our African heritage coming together to preserve it for coming generations in a creative way,” Mohlala explained.

He added: “Our cotton is grown in Zimbabwe, shocked with indigo, a dye that forms the foundation of so many textile traditions across Africa, transforming the creamy white of cotton into a prized deep blue cloth – a mysterious and valuable skill passed from generation to generation.

“So when you purchase an item from this range, you will be playing your part in preserving our African heritage and stories.”

To watch the film, search for #laststoriesofculture on Youtube.