Under the Hanging Tree: How Namibia's genocide lives on today
01/02/2023
by The Conversation
01-02-2023 16:21
in Entertainment
A Herero elder in the film.
Image by Old Location Films/End Street
Under the Hanging Tree is a new film written, directed and produced by Perivi Katjavivi, directed and produced by Perivi Katjavivi, a young, up-and-coming Namibian filmmaker.
--
Despite two decades of gradual growth in the fledgling Namibian film industry, only about 20 features have been produced by the southern African country so far. Katjavivi's efforts at writing, directing and producing are to be lauded. Under the Hangman's Tree is his third feature and it premiered in the official selection of the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam. Katjavivi's films offer political themes that reveal the dark underbelly of Namibian society. His narratives expose the devastating effects of colonialism, still felt today.
ALSO READ: Netflix and chill: The most streamed shows of 2022
Under the Hanging Tree is about Christina, a police officer who must investigate a murder on a farm. She is a Herero woman who has given up her tradition and culture in pursuit of a successful career. The mostly nomadic Ovaherero people were a Bantu grouping who arrived in central Namibia in the 1700s. Their descendants constitute 9% of the population today.
--
Between 1904 and 1908 tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred by forces of the German empire in a genocidal act of ethnic cleansing. This is described as the first genocide of the twentieth century and a dress rehearsal for the Holocaust that was to take place in Europe a few decades later.
This poignant film traces the growth of Christina's character from a young woman who is colonised and uprooted from her culture to one who acknowledges her heritage and its tragic history. The film plays out slowly - sometimes too slowly - but in the process it grasps the heart of the matter. It leaves a viewer thinking deeply about how the past influences the present.
OPENING SCENES The two opening scenes juxtapose one another and set the tone for the rest of the story.
--
An old Herero man at a ritual fire is invoking his ancestors and calling on them to come and bless their children. This cuts to Christina, arguing with her aunt Ndjambi, an elder who wears the typical Herero dress. She wants her niece to help hang their clothes out to dry but they argue. Christina considers it undignified to do this kind of work because she is educated and a professional.
The Hanging Tree will proceed to gradually unfold, revealing a society torn between the old and the new, between tradition and modernity.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT Christina and her colleague must investigate a murder that has been reported at one of the German farms in present day Namibia. There remain many farms owned by the families of original German settlers in the country. She discovers the farm owner hanged on a tree by an unknown person, echoing what happened more than a century ago when Herero people were hanged by the Germans from trees like this one.
In his story, Katjavivi brings to life the transgenerational trauma of a community. The film is alive to the mood of the nation, where discussions around German genocide reparations are a highly charged and sensitive topic.
Katjavivi makes the bold decision to focus on the death of one German Namibian to present the theme of genocide at a microscopic level.
ALSO READ: Love & Hip Hop SA': Everything you need to know about the cast
FILM NOIR The film has a contemporary approach, adopting a noir style of storytelling. Film noir is commonly a dark detective film with stark lighting revealing bleak settings, intricate plots and an underlying existentialist philosophy.
A Herero elder in the film. Old Location Films/End Street Under the Hanging Tree also uses Otjiherero sayings to good effect as scene headings, indicating the chapter to come.
Katjavivi doesn't fall into the trap of making a commercial thriller. Instead, he chooses to tell a story which is slower, more critical, compulsive to watch and crucial.
Under the Hanging Tree starts out as a police procedural, but is not a whodunnit. Instead it's a reflection on young Namibians, born after independence in 1990, who are unaware of or choose to ignore their country's painful history. Katjavivi handles Christina's growth in consciousness with sensitivity and courage.
The tree, says her aunt in one scene, is the womb from which all people emerge, referencing indigenous knowledge systems. Christina can run, but she cannot escape her culture.
IS IT ANY GOOD? The slow first half delves into Christina's life and work. The cinematography tells a deeper story. Using long shots, it captures an arid and beautiful Namibian landscape so vast that humans seem insignificant. Christina is shown through window bars and door frames, trapped in her reality.
The film interrogates German Namibia. Old Location Films/End Street Similarly, sound is put to effective use. Classical music underscores the German characters, but Herero characters bring with them sounds of nature that serve to heighten the tense atmosphere.
The second half picks up speed, with events unfolding in quick succession towards an unexpected resolution.
I have always felt that Namibian stories are best told by Namibians and Katjavivi rises to the challenge. He has succeeded in bringing to life the past and its impact on the present. There are countless human stories of Namibia's genocide that must still be recorded. But this is not enough. They have to be listened to, watched and explored.
Katjavivi is aware that it is only through telling them over and over ag
LINK: | https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/entertainment/under-the-hangin... |
See more stories from thesouthafrican |
Most recent headlines
09/12/2024
Dalet Named an IDC Innovator in Media and Entertainment
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced that it has been named an IDC Innovator in the IDC Innovators: ...
27/11/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, the Co-Directors of Sujo
By Jessica Herndon One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...
27/11/2024
Dinner and a Movie: Katie Arthurs on Top End Wedding and Breakfast Burritos
The author watching a film with her mother and brother....
27/11/2024
Inside the Archives: Showcasing Sundance Talent in Oz and the Colosseum
Denzel Washington at the Piper-Heidsieck Tribute press conference at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Sandria Miller...
27/11/2024
Spotify Teams Up With UK Charity Youth Music To Support Grassroots Youth Spaces
Over the past decade in the U.K., financial constraints and shifting community resources have put many grassroots music spaces under increasing pressure. There ...
27/11/2024
Are You Wrapped-Ready? First Make Sure Your Spotify App Is Up-to-Date
Wrapped is almost here and Spotify is starting to drop hints at what this year's campaign is all about: the fans. To get ready for the big reveal, Spotify i...
27/11/2024
Find Restaurant Recommendations Based on Your Music Taste With Spotify, American Express, and Resy
Dining out for the vibes? You're not alone. According to Resy's 2024 Ret...
27/11/2024
L3Harris' Lou Speaight is a Finalist at Women in Defence UK Awards 2024
The Women in Defence U.K. awards ceremony celebrates the extraordinary contributions individuals and teams make to Defence....
27/11/2024
Tint Boosts Collaborative Workflows with EditShare Storage Across Gothenburg and Stockholm Facilities
Tint Boosts Collaborative Workflows with EditShare Storage Across Gothenburg and...
27/11/2024
Clear-Com Powers Communication at the 2024 Singapore Airlines Formula 1 Singapore...
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
27/11/2024
Nielsen launches activation with Advanced Audiences, enhancing digital campaign precision, reach and effectiveness across New Zealand
Auckland, November 26, 2024 Nielsen today announced the launch of Advanced Aud...
27/11/2024
Nielsen releases 2024 Food and Beverage Report, covering a decade of data on the sector's ad spend, media trends and consumer shifts in Australia
Report reveals ad spend of 100 occasional food & beverage brands over last 10 ye...
27/11/2024
Lynx Technik Adds Vincent Noyer as Director of Product Marketing
WEITERSTADT, Germany Broadcast TV equipment provider Lynx Technik has named Vincent Noyer as director of product marketing....
27/11/2024
NBCUniversal Works With Walmart to Bring Live Shopping to Live Sports
NEW YORK NBCUniversal and Walmart said they are bringing new shoppable experiences and measurement capabilities to live sports coverage. Kicking off on Thanksgi...
27/11/2024
Deadline extended for submissions to Best in Market 2024 Awards
The awards are open to any company that launched a product/service or brought new upgrades to an existing product/service in 2024 By TVBEurope Staff Publishe...
27/11/2024
Marc Allera to leave BT Group
In a nine year career with BT, Allera played a key role in the development of its joint venture with Warner Bros Discovery, TNT Sports By Matthew Corrigan Pu...
27/11/2024
Ross Video Hopes To BHAG Private Equity With Ambitious Strategy Shift
Ross Video has outlined a shift in its strategic approach and announced a significant financial target for 2030....
27/11/2024
Bending Spoons To Acquire Brightcove for $233 Million
BOSTON Brightcove said it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Bending Spoons in an all-cash transaction valued at about $233 million....
27/11/2024
Transmit, Wurl Partner on FAST Channel Ads
NEW YORK Advanced-advertising solutions provider Transmit and connected-TV tech company Wurl have struck a partnership that will bring Transmit's in-stream ...
27/11/2024
Prime Video Adds More FAST Channels for the Holidays
Amazon's Prime Video continues to bulk up its free, ad-supported streaming TV channels with the launch of holiday-themed channels and other services....
27/11/2024
Sinclair's Chris Ripley Lays Out ATSC 3.0 Challenges, Opportunities
HUNT VALLEY, Md. Earlier this month, Sinclair signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Technology Bombay covering their collaboration on broad...
27/11/2024
Krotos Introduces the Creator Toolkit: Tailored Sound Effects for Content Creators
Krotos Introduces the Creator Toolkit: Tailored Sound Effects for Content Creato...
27/11/2024
First look revealed for third explosive instalment of Sky Original Gangs of London', coming 2025
First look revealed for third explosive instalment of Sky Original Gangs of Lon...
27/11/2024
The Summer Hikaru Died' Set to Bring Eerie Anime Thrills to Netflix
Back to All News The Summer Hikaru Died' Set to Bring Eerie Anime Thrills to NetflixPlay Video Play Video Entertainment 27 November 2024 GlobalJapan ...
27/11/2024
Thales Alenia Space to lead Carb-Chaser project, the first French constellation to monitor human-induced CO emissions
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Cannes, November 27, 2024 - Thales Alenia Space,...
27/11/2024
RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Tickets on Sale
Awards on Wednesday 26th February 2025 in Vicar Street, Dublin #rtefolkawards | Tickets via Ticketmaster (link below) Tickets for the 7th RT Radio 1 Folk Awa...
27/11/2024
How RTX AI PCs Unlock AI Agents That Solve Complex Problems Autonomously With Generative AI
Editor's note: This post is part of the AI Decoded series, which demystifies...
26/11/2024
Afghan Reporter Wins Young Journalist of the Year 2024
A woman journalist from Afghanistan has been named Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2024. The journalist, who we are not naming for her ow...
26/11/2024
Audiobook Authors and Publishers Get a New Suite of Tools With the Launch of Spotify for Authors
Spotify's audiobook catalog brings more than 300,000 titles-and counting-to ...
26/11/2024
L3Harris in the UK Achieves Silver ERS Award Status
Jules Ball and Henry Watts, with the award being presented by Brigadier Adam Fraser-Hitchen ADC DL, Deputy Commander of 3rd UK Division....
26/11/2024
Reliable Power for Broadcast Sports Production
Steve ColeFor more than 14 years Steve Cole has been enjoying life in live broadcast, starting as a camera operator and shortly after, adding PTZ/remote camera ...
26/11/2024
Studio Technologies Introduces Model 352A and Model 354A...
Studio Technologies, manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, presents the Model 352A and Model 354A Talk Stations. The units suppo...
26/11/2024
TASCAM Sonicview Recording and Mixing Consoles and SMPTE...
TASCAM, renowned for its versatile and adaptable audio solutions, today announced that its TASCAM Sonicview Digital Mixing Consoles and optional IF-ST2110 Expan...
26/11/2024
Blue Lucy takes on The Americas
London-based media technology business, Blue Lucy, has set up a US division of the company and appointed Dina Behar Hevert as VP Americas. The company's ent...
26/11/2024
Leader Experiences 2024 as Year of Ongoing Innovation in...
The American writer William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry, wrote of New York City in the early 1900s that It'll be a great place if they ever fin...
26/11/2024
AGILE CONTENT AND TISCALI TEAM UP TO LAUNCH THE TV SERVIC...
Agile Content joins forces with Tiscali to introduce a new platform in Italy, offering a wide range of premium content for all audiences. Agile Content, a Eur...
26/11/2024
Bulgarian Fund for Women made accessible using SubtitleNE...
For immediate release 26 November 2024, Sofia, Bulgaria Profuz Digital recently sponsored the Bulgarian Fund for Women's 20th Anniversary event by donat...
26/11/2024
Ikegami Sees Accelerating Adoption of IP and Mixed-Format...
Ikegami reports an accelerating migration to high-efficiency IP and mixed-format UHD/HD content creation throughout 2024. Product developments announced during ...
26/11/2024
CVP Announces the Second Belgian Production Technology Sh...
The premier event for cutting-edge production solutions, technologies, and industry insights returns to Brussels. CVP, one of Europe's leading resellers an...
26/11/2024
EMG-Gravity Media to deliver more than 350 hours coverage...
EMG / Gravity Media, a leading force in production and content, media services and facilities, today detailed EMG / Gravity Media's expanding broadcast and ...
26/11/2024
iZotope unveils Cascadia, an intelligent tape delay for clear and present mixes
iZotope unveils Cascadia, an intelligent tape delay for clear and present mixes Brie Clayton November 26, 2024 0 Comments Keep your mixes clear and fo...
26/11/2024
Award Winning Memoir of a Snail Finished in DaVinci Resolve Studio
Award Winning Memoir of a Snail Finished in DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton November 26, 2024 0 Comments DaVinci Resolve Studio used to create uni...
26/11/2024
Ross Video hopes to BHAG private equity with a shift in strategy and ambitious growth plans
Pulling back on innovation and growth doesn't fit the DNA of Ross Video. Pri...
26/11/2024
Bending Spoons dips into enterprise SaaS market with $233 million Brightcove acquisition
Italy-based Bending Spoons suite of digital technology products includes Evernot...
26/11/2024
Nielsen: Fox, Disney Gain Viewing Share in October
NEW YORK In the battle for viewing among the big TV and media players, Fox had a superb October, earning an 8.4% share of total TV viewing in Nielsen's Octo...
26/11/2024
FCC: Jan 1. Deadline to Implement Audio Description Rules in DMAs 101-110
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has issued a reminder that stations in TV markets 101 to 110 must implement its new audio de...
26/11/2024
NBC News Now Expands Into Latin America
NEW YORK NBC News Now has expanded its international distribution into Latin America with launches in Mexico and Brazil on Samsung TV Plus....
26/11/2024
Scripps Sets up AI Strategy Team
CINCINNATI In a notable example of a broadcaster turning to artificial intelligence to improve operations and open up new business opportunities, E.W. Scripps h...
26/11/2024
Cablecast Community Media Bids Fond Farewell to Steve Israelsky
Cablecast Community Media Bids Fond Farewell to Steve Israelsky Brie Clayton November 25, 2024 0 Comments Steve sails into retirement following a colo...
26/11/2024
New Games, New Stakes: Squid Game' Season 2 Main Trailer and Key Art Round and Round' Unveiled
Back to All News New Games, New Stakes: Squid Game' Season 2 Main Trailer ...