96
Drum: SCENE
Film
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The Swenkas
Jeppe Rønde
Drama
72 mins
This is the story of The Swenkas, a small group of
working Zulu men in post-apartheid South Africa. Men
who every Saturday night leave their grimy overalls
behind and wear their best Carducci or Pierre Cardin
suits to impress the weekly-selected judge. These men
are called the Swenkas, and they have organised this
fashion show for so many years that no one remembers
exactly when – or even why – it all began.
Normally, the prize for best suit and style of the night
is money, but on special occasions like Christmas the
winner walks home with a living goat or even a cow
on a leash. And this story starts at Christmas time. It
follows the youngest Swenka, Sabelo (now 31) in the
most turbulent time of his life. He has to bury his father
just a week before Christmas – and only a week before
his own wedding. But not only has Sabelo lost a father.
His father was also leader of the Swenkas, and now
Sabelo and his fellow Swenkas find them-selves in a
state of incertitude. Will Sabelo give up swanking?
Will the group find a new leader? Will the art of
swanking go on?
Here is a tenderly-told tale about the importance of
preserving cultural traditions, and the role of fathers
in passing on knowledge to their sons. Beautifully
filmed and acted, the film has a simple elegance that
seems to weld its various acts into a whole much
greater than the sum of its parts. The scenes between
‘fathers’ and ‘sons’ are particularly pertinent and heart
wrenching, while the rest is not without the gentle
punch of humour. Watch it and you might just weep.
The Swenkas is the second part of the trilogy Faith,
Hope & Love, preceded by the multiple award-winning,
Jerusalem My Love. The Swenkas took the viewers
award at the International Documentary Festival in
Amsterdam. Look out for an interview with its director
in a forthcoming issue of Drum.