11 March, 2016 - 07:01
A contest against time. N!uu, a 25,000-year-old San language faces extinction. Three surviving elders, all sisters, the youngest being 80 years old, are the remaining speakers of the language in South Africa's Northern Cape province, among the #Khomani San community.
It's unthinkable that this language is about to die. Something has to be done, Helena Steenkamp, a young San woman and the central character of the documentary film, Lost Tongue, says.
Set to premier at New York's Socially Relevant Film Festival on March 17, Lost Tongue is a cultural and spiritual journey to raise consciousness about a language on the verge of extinction. In April, the film will open in about 100 cinemas across the U.S.
Directed by young filmmaker Davison Mudzingwa, and presented by South African-based Mvura Ya Afrika (MYA) Productions, the film is a call to save indigenous languages.
This is a story of hope and revival of the ancient and endangered N!uu language of a marginalized indigenous #Khomani San people in the Kalahari, Mudzingwa tells Okayafrica.
The San are the historic peoples of Southern Africa. Today most live in South Africa and neighbouring Botswana and Namibia. In modern South Africa, the San have largely been absorbed into the so-called Coloured, mixed-race or Griqua population. This absorption has led to a loss of culture and language, says Mudzingwa.
The Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), says languages are vehicles of cultures, collective memory and values: They are an essential component of our identities, and a building block of our diversity and living heritage. Yet, about half of some 6,000 languages spoken today are in danger of disappearing.
This is the quandary N!uu finds itself in.
Lost-Tongue-Davison-Mudzingwa-Documentary-Film-2
Courtesy of Lost Tongue.
Lost Tongue is the collaborative vision of Mudzingwa and three friends. Themba Vilakazi, one of South Africa's foremost cinematographic talents, shot the film. It was funded by MYA Productions and non-profit outfit Entrepreneurship Africa. Francis Yannicq Hweshe of South Africa and U.S.-based MeSun Barnett are producers working to bring the picture to the world's screen.
In the film, a young San lady, Helena Steenkamp, frantically tries to save her ancient language N!uu from extinction.
She teams up with one of three remaining speakers to learn the language and culture. Through this journey, the film explores the marginalisation of the San people and cultural genocide they have gone through.
Born into a world that does not reflect who they are, their names betray their identity, Mudzingwa says.
It's a sad state of affairs, he adds. They are socialised into a lifestyle that is not theirs, they speak Afrikaans, a language that was forced on them, and when they die, they are buried in a manner that is foreign to them.
Mudzingwa says he was inspired to make Lost Tongue after directing the 2012 short film, Bush Trail, which premiered at the Tri-continental International Film Festival in Johannesburg.
When we filmed Bush Trail in Kalahari in the #Khomani San community, it was funny yet sad, local people did not speak their language or follow their traditional culture, Mudzingwa says.
From this observation, another storyline was born, we began to investigate and a new, exciting and surprising journey for Lost Tongue.
Language is an important human rights issue, Barnett says. We hope through this cultural project the global audiences will get to see the remnants of a discriminatory history still alive today.
He tell us that it's a tall order, but that is what drives them to share this authentic story to both uninitiated, and a more knowledgeable audience public.
lost-tongue-photo-still
Courtesy of Lost Tongue.
The film has made the producers realize that they can do something in the #Khomani San community, where about 1,000 people reside and an unknown number of their tribe scattered to reside elsewhere around the Kalahari.
Hweshe says there are plans to start the Lost Tongue Legacy Project in 2017, a social impact program where they aim to form partners for the construction of a multimedia center at the heart of the #Khomani San community.
The centre will become a symbol of hope for the hopeless youth, Hweshe tells Okayafrica. The youth will tell their own unique stories as professionals through film and photography.
Hweshe says multimedia classes will be held with assistance of professionals who will come together from all over the world to work with local staff to teach students the skills to succeed and provide the proper support needed.
In addition to other facilities, we would want the centre to have a facility for the recording of the language as well as a library and recreational sports, he says.
http://www.okayafrica.com
Documentaries
Africa South Africa
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
11 March, 2016 - 07:01 
