Cape Town - This Heritage Month, explore a modern-day story that sees film-maker Sihle Hlophe set out to unpack the sacred cultural practices of customary marriage in her film titled “Lobola, A Bride’s True Price?”
Taking the bull by the horns, Hlophe sets out to explore subjects such as socially constructed gender roles, African spirituality, patriarchy and the evolution of culture in her personal film that followed her journey on whether or not she would accept lobola after her boyfriend proposed to her.
The film showcases Hlophe’s journey from before and during her wedding and lobola negotiations around the country in the hope of properly understanding the practice.
“‘Lobola, A Bride’s True Price?’ follows my own personal journey as I decide whether to accept or reject iLobola. I also attend the lobola ceremonies of three other couples in different parts of the country. On my journey, I speak to elders in my family in order to gain a deeper understanding of this sacred cultural practice. I also speak to a cultural adviser, a traditional healer and a lawyer who breaks down the legal implications of customary marriage in South Africa,” said Hlophe.
Despite facing challenges such as funding, and the pressures of being in front of the camera to tell her story, Hlophe added that she wanted to soldier on because she felt that the story needed to be told.
“Personally, I am still uncomfortable with the patriarchal and transactional elements of iLobola. Why is the bride’s ‘worth’ questioned while the groom’s isn’t? Throughout the negotiation process, it is implied that she must be educated, childless and domesticated, but the same is not expected of the groom. I have never attended a lobola ceremony where the groom was prejudiced against because he had children prior to the marriage. Furthermore, iLobola has been tainted by capitalism; a man’s worth is directly linked to his financial prowess. If a man can’t provide financially, his ‘manhood’ is questioned. People who want to go through the lobola process but don’t have the financial means are often shamed. Instead of focusing on the monetary gains, the families of the couple should be more focused on helping them to build a new life together. Lobola is also framed as a heteronormative practice and this is problematic because couples who identify as members of the LGBTQ community are excluded and sometimes discriminated against by their families. So I really wanted to explore these things in the documentary,” said Hlophe.
With the film spearheaded mostly by women, British Academy Film Awards-winning consulting producer Xoliswa Sithole added that the issue of lobola is contentious, especially for the younger generation who are conflicted with the culture and the monetary aspect of it and young women not wanting to participate in an aspect of culture that is in conflict with their beliefs.
“I felt that it was a very brave project for Sihle to embark on, ‘do be damned and don’t be damned’ kind of scenario. I felt it was very important for her to interrogate this journey and as a film-maker myself who has made films that are personal I understood the power of the narrative, especially being told from a personal perspective. The only way was to soldier on even when she felt she wanted to give up, and my part in this was to give her the emotional, spiritual and practical experience.
“Going forward, it is important to remember that life is not in black and white. Culture is important but not static and we need to firstly understand it, interrogate it and find ways of adapting it to the different times we are living in or we face the danger of younger people interpreting it in black and white when really it is more nuanced than that. Having said that, as women who challenge patriarchy we need to do what works for us and for those who do not want to undergo the ritual of lobola then they should be free to do so in a democratic society,” said Sithole.
Screening of the film will be at Bertha House, Cape Town, on September 7, 14 and 21 at 5pm. Tickets are available online on Quicket.
Weekend Argus