Safta-winning filmmaker Sihle Hlophe says it’s imperative for Africans to question their culture if they want to understand it.
And that is exactly what she did in her documentary Lobola, A Bride’s True Price?, which went on a journey with Hlophe who wanted to make an informed decision on whether she would allow her family to put a price on her hand in marriage.
“I want people who watch this film to understand that questioning things does not make you less African,” she said.
“A lot of people do not want to question traditions such as lobola but do not actually know why we follow these customs. By not questioning you actually lose your culture because you do not know why you are participating.”
The documentary, which was released earlier this month, was named the runner-up for the Adiaha Award for Best Documentary by an African Woman. In 2017, while it was still in the early stages of development, the film also won the Most Promising Documentary Project award at the Durban Film Mart.
The 36-year-old Hlophe, who hails from Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, studied Film and TV production at Wits University and went on to cut her teeth in the industry through student films and social enterprise documentaries on same- sex marriage and HIV stigma. She has won multiple awards and has been featured as a scriptwriter on SA shows such as Lockdown, Scandal, Mutual Friends and Broken Vows.
“I have always been a creative person who has been interested in books, art and history. I remember growing up I watched a lot of documentaries on nation building,” she said.
In 2012 she started learning about precolonial history in Africa, particularly around Mapungubwe, which was a flourishing Kingdom in Southern Africa.
Hlophe wanted to do a film on the history of Mapungubwe but battled with funding and moved on to a more modern dilemma, which is the lobola question.
“I was going through my own journey of marriage and people said I should do the documentary on myself. I was hesitant but realised I could be a conduit for the film,” she said.
In the film she speaks to a lawyer, other couples who are going through the same dilemma and her family.
As a feminist with strong anti-patriarchal beliefs, Hlope also questions the notion of lobola (payment of a bride price, traditionally in terms of cattle but now also in hard cash).
“We started the development of the film in 2016 and started filming in 2019. The editing happened in 2021 and it became ready for release this year,” said Hlophe.
She said winning the runner-up prize was affirming to her team. “That was very affirming for us as a team and we are still going to submit to other festivals,” said Hlophe.
She said she wants women to learn about their legal rights in marriage when they are watching the film.
Lobola, A Bride’s True Price? will also be shown publicly in Johannesburg and Cape Town in August.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.