"Breyani", A Film on the South African Shackdwellers' Movement

Special film showing and discussion to benefit The Durban Kennedy 5 Housing Activist Group

Breyani and The Councillor
South Africa 2006 (26 min.)
By Sally Giles & Fazel Khan

Sunday, May 20, 7:00 PM
522 Valencia Street/16th St.
San Francisco

This film is about the South Africa shackdwellers' movement (description below).

This film shows the struggle for decent housing and jobs in a township in Durban. The residents begin to struggle for justice and are met with repression.

After democracy was won in South Africa in 1994, a promise by the new ANC government was to deliver housing to the poorest of the poor. Delivery on this promise has been slow with large shacklands still very much a part of South African life. Twelve years later, loyal and patient shackdwellers all over the country are mobilising against what they perceive to be a new oppression.

The shackdwellers movement's -Abahlali base Mjondolo evolved in Durban, a city on the east coast of South Africa. It incorporates various informal shacklands in and around the city. Using the might of their united numbers, Abahlali is mobilising against slow delivery and relocations planned by Municipal councillors. Their struggle is ongoing.

The documentary film, (originally 3 different films) was shot specifically for viewing by the communities on a non-professional Sony digital handycam. They were shot in the lead up to and during protest marches, quickly edited, then screened outdoors in the different informal settlements using a generator, portable screen and data projector.

Visual representations of the unacceptable conditions motivated them to mobilise as a collective around a stand of "Enough is enough".

$5.00 Donation

For further information check out:
http://www.abahlali.org

For an audio interview go to
http://www.pambazuka.org/media/PZ0028.mp3

Amandla Awethu!

Endorsed by
Labor Video Project
For Further Information contact
(415)282-1908
lvpsf [at] labornet.org
riva187 [at] yahoo.com