Festival Cinema Africano, Asia ed America Latina
Milan, Italy
Screenings will take place:
March 17, 2010, 4:30PM
SYNOPSIS
The story of Streetball, a documentary on South Africa’s 2008 – 2009 Homeless World Cup Teams
In Cape Town, there are two realities. Sixteen years after the end of apartheid, South Africa prepares to
host the FIFA World Cup and the country is ripe with celebration. New hot spots, airports and stadiums were built to welcome travelers from around the world. However, there remains a generation that lives in extreme poverty, with many youth falling into lives of violence, drugs and abuse.
Streetball is a fast paced documentary that tells the stories of South Africa’s 2008 Homeless World Cup team. The Homeless World Cup is an annual soccer tournament that draws teams from over 56 countries—comprised of homeless and the excluded. The SA Squad consists of ex-convicts, former gangsters, orphans and recovering drug addicts that band together to represent their country, proving that no one is beyond redemption. Streetball is a story of hope and of the resilience that dwells within the human spirit. But while these mens’ dreams are simply to have a home and to be recognized as people who need care, often times the realization of those dreams is accompanied by a sobering reality.
THE CAST
Meet the soccer players of South Africa’s 2008 Homeless World Cup team and their leaders in the Cape Town community.
Martin Africa grew up in Cape Town and lived on the streets since he was five years old. After spending years in and out of prisons and gangs, Martin found out he had a son and needed to find a way out of a life of drugs and gangsterism. In 2007, he attended trials for South Africa’s Homeless World Cup street soccer team. He was subsequently named captain of the 2008 team.
Thapelo Kalpens grew up as an orphan , living in a youth home. He’s a strong student and wants to attend college but is unsure of how to pay for tuition. He tried out for the Homeless World Cup team in hopes of gaining experiences and connections that would benefit his future. Thapelo made the team and was named vice-captain.
Sandile Mhlongo became an orphan when he was nine years old. He grew up in a children’s shelter but when he turned eighteen, he was sent out to live on his own. With no family or support, he ended up living on the streets. He heard about trials for the Homeless World Cup team and stood out among the competition. Sandile was a top goal scorer for the 2008 Homeless World Cup team.
Petros Nkomo, aka “Rasta,” grew up in Soweto and later moved to Cape Town. He was an orphan at age seven and struggled to find stability for himself on the streets. He spent some time in prison due to petty crimes and while he was there, he played soccer. He became an excellent goal keeper which made him an obvious choice for the 2008 team.
David Abrahams is a community leader, focused on developing youth structures. He founded the Western Cape Street Soccer League in 2006, in preparation for the Homeless World Cup held that year in Cape Town. He has since grown the league into the organization, South African Homeless Street Soccer (SAHSS) and works for the league on a volunteer basis.
Peter Cooksen coached the 2008 Homeless World Cup team. He works full time for organizations in the Atlantis community and volunteered for the South African Homeless Street Soccer League. His coaching provided guidance to the players as they prepared to compete in Australia.
Kgafela oa Magogodi is a Spoken Word Poet and film scholar. He taught at the University of the Witwatersrand and was also a guest lecturer at New York University. He has performed worldwide and was the first recipient of the Steve Biko Fellowship. His work explores the social roles and media representation of Black intellectuals, as well as the significance of maintaining cultural practices to uphold a vibrant civil society.
THE ARTISTS
Streetball features the work of significant up and coming–as well as established–musicians and street artists from South Africa. Each artist donated their poetry, music and images to the film and to From Us With Love, giving Streetball a vibrant backdrop in telling the stories of South Africa’s post-apartheid generation.
Araminta de Clermont
Photo by Araminta de Clermont
Araminta de Clermont is a British born photographer who is now based out of Cape Town. Her work explores “rites of passage, and the visual currencies of group identification and formation.” Before Life her second solo show, follows Life After, which was exhibited at Joao Ferreira Gallery, and at ArtSpace, Berlin. Her work features in the UNISA collection, in The Trustman collection, and has been showcased throughout the US and Europe as well as in South Africa.
ETC Crew
ETC CREW is the “Cape Town-based, multi-racial, cross-dimensional Hip Hop rap outfit you might’ve already heard of.” Fueled by their own fresh yet energetic, jazzy, head-nodding Hip Hop sound, they are on a mission to fill a cultural and musical gap in the South African music industry. Not content to be followers in the game, they would rather do it differently, making changes on their own terms, armed with the kind of quality beats that speak to your feet and a highly comedic lyrical flow that is completely contagious. ETC Crew is here to re-adjust any kind of attitude that says Hip Hop and rap are strictly for gang bangers.
Faith47
- Image by Faith47
Faith47 is a Cape Town based graffiti artist and has been adorning the streets of South Africa for over fifteen years. Her work explores the divisions that still exist within South Africa’s communities and seeks to draw attention to the places and people that are often over looked. Her artwork has appeared in galleries across Europe, North and South America as well as throughout Africa.
Jitsvinger
Jitsvinger (Quintin Goliath) is one of South Africa’s fastest rising Afrikaans vernacular Hip Hop artists. He plays acoustic and electric guitar and successfully launched his debut album, Skeletsleutel, in 2006. He has traveled the country and world, performing at various outdoor and indoor festivals, theaters, clubs, living rooms and even cordoned off streets.
In 2005, Jitsvinger was invited to facilitate a creative writing program at Robben Island. He has performed with poet and author Antjie Krog, and poets Kgafela oa Magododi and Comrade Fatso. He traveled and collaborated with Khoisan praise poet, Jethro Louw, performing traditional cultural music in the Taiwanese cities of Tainan and Taipei. In mid-2008, he traveled to Switzerland as part of the inter-continental Rogue State of Mind project where he performed and recorded with fellow artists from Switzerland and South Africa. Jitsvinger has been working on his follow-up album due for release in 2009.
Kgafela
Kgafela oa Magogodi is a Spoken Word Poet, Spoken Word Theater director and film scholar. He has taught at the University of the Witwatersrand School of the Arts as a lecturer in African Cinema, Oral Performance and Rap/Dub Poetry Studies and has also been a guest lecturer at New York University. He directs and produces original Spoken Word Theater and his productions have included “Itchy City,” “Warsoil,” “Bread,” and “Blood.”
Kgafela has written several screenplays and produced his feature length film, I Mic What I Like, in 2006. He has performed worldwide and was the first recipient of the Steve Biko Fellowship. His work explores the social roles and media representation of Black intellectuals, as well as the significance of maintaining cultural practices to uphold a vibrant civil society.
Rudimentals
- photo by matty.co.za
The Rudimentals are an eight-piece ska/reggae band that have been described as a “South African Institution.” The band released its first CD, “More Fire,” in October, 2003 and the hit song “Noh TV” won a National Bronze Stone award for best music video. In 2004, the band was voted “Best Reggae and Ska Band” in South Africa, by nationally popular Blunt Magazine.
In 2006, the band released their second CD entitled, “Set It Proper.” The CD fuses Ska, Reggae, Dub, Dancehall, Rock, African Mbaquanga and Jazz into what is now known as Afro-Ska. Sponsors include Cape Audio College, Township Guitars, Moskow Clothing and Critik Shoes. In 2007, the Band was signed for their first CD, “More Fire”, with Moonskaworld UK.
UjU
Gwen Ansell of Business Day claimed, “(UjU’s) compositions are memorable and the playing rather better than it needs to be. Whatever this new kind of popular music ends up being called, UjU does it exceedingly well.”
Today’s incarnation of the band was crystallized at a twelve-hour jam session in early March, 2004. Led by spiritual leader of the band, Ntuthu Ndlovu (poet and vocals), UjU has a sound that is distinctly their own, mixing strong Mbaqanga rhythms with modern Jazz and Hip Hop. UjU – Zulu for Honey – writes with a heightened consciousness, informed by critical social, economic and political issues. They aim to bring about the entirely new and distinctly South African sound that represents their generation. As they say, “Nothing cheesy here but always self-referential and ironic.”
PRODUCTION NOTES
Behind the scenes stories of producing the feature documentary, Streetball.
Streetball was funded by South African PBO (Public Benefit Organization) and United States 501(c)3 public charity From Us With Love (FUWL). With little to no experience in the film industry, but a passion to share the triumphs and tragedies of the 2008/2009 South African Homeless World Cup Teams, Streetball began production in July of 2008.
FUWL asked filmmaker, Demetrius Wren to join them in South Africa in February of 2008 to photograph and make short documentary videos of their ongoing projects. While spending time with the South African Homeless Street Soccer League, President, David Abrahams suggested that Wren make a full length documentary film about street soccer. Wren shared Abrahams request with FUWL Founder, Michael Smith and Smith agreed. Within a few weeks, FUWL approved funding for Streetball.
Streetball was made by a crew of only two. Demetrius Wren and Christina Ghubril shot, wrote, interviewed, directed, edited, photographed, sound mixed, researched, graphic designed, and composed the elements that make up the film under the direction of Executive Producer, Michael Smith, who also founded FUWL in April of 2007.
Thanks to modern technology, two 25 year olds with a lot of passion could complete a film in their living room. Streetball was edited, sound designed and graphic designed on a Mac, using all Mac programs.
FUWL’s strong relationships with organizations involved with the street soccer league, gave Wren and Ghubril full access to the staff and players. Wren and Ghubril would often leave the cameras behind and spend time getting to know the players and the Cape Town community. The friendships that formed made it comfortable to hold conversational interviews and hang out at ease while a camera was around
Without a full crew or imposing equipment, Wren and Ghubril gained access into places and stories that are not often open to “outsiders” or media. Also, without Martin Africa, much of Streetball would not exist. He took Wren and Ghubril into locations that housed local gangs and to where many street people lived. Once, Ghubril watched a man twirl a gun at them while filming in the Quarry but he put it down when he saw Martin with the crew. On Long Street, Martin was told by some kids that if he wasn’t with the crew, they would’ve stolen the cameras.
Ghubril wanted to highlight South African musicians and artists in the film, to give context to the vibrant post-apartheid culture and generation. Wren was inspired by the “Take-Away Videos” — one-shot music videos of bands performing live in their community locations. The two combined their ideas and brought South African musicians into the fabric of the film.
While finishing her undergrad in Johannesburg, Ghubril met Wandile Molebetsi of UjU, and would frequent UjU’s concerts each week. Kgafela oa Magogodi was her professor at NYU and at the University of the Witwatersrand. On her spring break in Cape Town, Ghubril visited the District 6 museum where she was moved by Faith47’s artwork. Jitsvinger, the Rudimentals and ETC Crew, were found on myspace. They all generously donated their time, music and artwork to From Us With Love for Streetball. All proceeds from the film and soundtrack will go to fund From Us With Love’s ongoing projects to bring about hope in South Africa.
First days of the 2008 Homeless World Cup
Thapelo in Opening Parade
Sicelo in Melbourne
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
We have now been in Australia for two days. As traveling usually is, it has been quite a whirlwind of events. There were several near missed flights with our crew running through international airports, Sandile spent a night alone in Johannesburg due to a flight mix-up, the second crew had trouble leaving the country and so missed their flight from Hong Kong to Australia and ultimately canceled the first day’s games. However, everyone is now safely in Melbourne and so far, having a magnificent time.
Players from India
Player during opening festivities
The opening ceremony was a special event. Local musicians and indigenous Australian dancers performed for all of the teams. Mel Young, the creator of the Homeless World Cup, spoke to the crowd, encouraging each player on their journey. The event ended with a drumming crew playing through the hall and many of the players from around the world dancing together on the stage at Melbourne University, where the event is being held.
I was moved nearly to tears several times during the ceremony. There are 56 countries from all over the world represented at this year’s event. It is a beautiful sight to see flags, country colors, jerseys and hundreds of excited faces from so many places and cultures. Multiply that by the scenarios these athletes have lived through and the hope that is inherent in their presence here, at an international competition, and I was more inspired than I have been even by the Olympics. There are some absolutely phenomenal individuals at this event and the city is buzzing from it all.
Portugal
Namibia women
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Melbourne has done what seems to me to be a fantastic job of organizing for the Homeless World Cup. Over 900 volunteers are coordinating all of the games, the crowds, the set up, etc. Local schools have assigned different teams to their various classes and so each team has a solid fan base and is being chased by kids who want the players’ autographs and arrive enthusiastically, country flags painted on their cheeks in each team’s colors.
Supporter of Ethiopia
East Timor
.
.
.
.
.
.
The games began yesterday and every team showed up ready to fight. These preliminary rounds are the placement games. Because no one is allowed to play in the HWC more than one time, each year it is unknown which teams will be the strongest. Last year, Scotland won first place. From the matches I saw yesterday, many were close calls between equally solid teams. There were a few significant wins, however. In particular, the team from England is tough. They scored goal after goal and all of their players showed up with incredible strength and ferocity. From the sidelines with my camera, I thought I might lose my head a couple of times. Also, the women’s team from Kyrgyzstan did very well. Their team looks young and potentially passive but their skill and footwork was impressive and they won a solid victory against Australia, as well.
England (in White) Vs. Sweden
Players from England
Street soccer is a bit different than field soccer. Each team has 3 players on the court and one keeper/goalie. One player must be on their side of the court playing defense at all times. The court is much smaller and the games are 15 minutes each, played in two halves. The walls of the court are used to bounce the ball off of and pass it to other players so to win, one must be ready for a lot of fast running and brave handling of a ball that is being shot with great power around the court.
Thapelo signing autographs
South Africa supporter
.
.
.
.
.
.
Our guys play their first game at 4:40 today. They are more than fired up and excited to get out there and play. They will be playing Chile, in this round. Tomorrow, they are up against Greece. Send up some good thoughts for South Africa!
Last Days in Cape Town
View of Table Mountain from Robben Island
A Cafe in Cape Town
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It’s hard to believe this part of our journey is almost complete. In two days, Demetrius and I will join South Africa’s 2008 Homeless World Cup team on a flight to Melbourne, Australia, for the long awaited international competetion. The air around us is full of energy, excitement and also some fears. We are all dreaming of Melbourne, looking her up on the net, talking about what she could be like. It’s almost time to find out.
Knowing we only have a few days left in Cape Town has kept Demetrius and I fairly busy. Over the last few days we spent time with a local graffitti writer and artist, Faith47, learning more about her processes and voice in the community. We visited The Oasis, another organization that uses street soccer to reach local youth–particulary at risk individuals–and builds relationships through the game in order to then mentor and assist the players throughout their life development. We spent a morning with another community leader who also uses street soccer to reach homeless guys and interviewed several members of his team about their experiences, first hand, working with these guys.
The stories are the same: street soccer is the cheapest and most effective way to reach street kids. All you need is a ball and the kids will come. Once the kids have gotten to know the leaders a bit, they will begin to open up. Once they know they are loved, many of them no longer want to use drugs or live on the streets. I know it sounds much simpler than it is but the bottom line story we are hearing from all sides is that these guys need to know they are loved and need to be heard in order to begin on a healthier path. Street soccer is a way to begin to build relationships as well as to offer a physical outlet, goals the players can work towards and reasons why they are needed, as well. The team needs each other. The younger players need the older ones to act as big brothers/mentors. Once they are hooked into a community, their leaders can help them find other opportunities for work, creative outlets, education, sometimes counseling. But it all begins with the game.
Boys in Happy Valley
Fruit Stand in Happy Valley
During several interviews, we were also taken on a tour of some of the townships in Cape Town that are less “famous” than Khayalitcha. They don’t end up on the news so much or in people’s debates and conversations but the stories there are just as real and challenging. There are no schools whatsoever in Happy Valley and so the children have to ride sometimes two hours and/or walk long distances to get to school in neighboring townships. We were there on a Monday afternoon and there were kids of all ages, everywhere, not in school. We also visited a newer settlement that was a squatter’s town but has grown to be a full community. Theyhave organized their own local leaders who are internally recognized. There are 2 outside pumps for water access and several outhouses and that is this community’s main access to water and toilets. There are no schools, but there is a recently opened creche for the babies. Many people who live here were once homeless but have come together and made a community for themselves, have homes and some level of stability and protection here.
Water Pump
In the afternoon, we went to Robben Island for a tour of the prison Nelson Mandela lived in for 18 years (he spent a total of 27 years in prison, but 18 of them were on Robben Island). It is a very stark place. Now, a historical site and tourist attraction. Many of the tour guides were once prisoners there, themselves. I am blown away by the courage it would take to be back there, guiding tourists through your old cell every day. Most of the prisoners on Robben Island were political prisoners who were against apartheid and arrested and tortured for fighting for their freedom. Many of them were very young men who were torn away from their families and loved ones, tortured and discrimated against and shipped off to an island off the coast of Cape Town. It was a prison for Colored and Black men only. There were separate facilities around the country for women and white men. There is something both haunting and hopeful about seeing a gift shop on a former such prison. I do not really know how to process it.
Nelson Mandela's former cell
Outside of the Prison
Off the shores of Robben Island
We have one more interview today and spend tomorrow with the team and gathering last bits of footage before packing up and leaving for Australia. There are many stories ahead of us still, I know. May the journeys continue!
Final Training
It’s official. Martin Africa will not be able to go to the Homeless World Cup. At least not this year, not with this team. He still has not been able to get official papers and there is no longer time enough to process the paperwork necessary to get his visa, even if an ID were to miraculously show up for him tomorrow. When he was informed that he would not be able to go, he said that he had come to that conclusion a week before on his own and has made peace with it.
He has, however, continued to train with the team and to support them, taking his responsibility as team captain seriously. He is encouraging the rest of the players and will also choose another member of the team to take over for him, as captain, in his absence. Everyone wants Martin to succeed and to hold onto the hope he has found over the last few months. I am hoping the weeks while the boys are in Australia are not too difficult for him.
Practice on the Beach
Over the weekend, the team went on a training retreat outside of Cape Town. They were up with the dawn every day, running and training on the beach at 5AM and following a rigorous schedule from there. The energy and excitement is building as Friday morning’s flight to Australia comes closer and closer. Some of them have expressed fears that they may find out last minute that they also will not be able to go. Some are in the middle of exams for school at the same time as they are training and preparing to leave. Some are experiencing health problems that are inhibiting their abilities to play to their fullest capacity. But all are fighting hard and have their eyes set on that cup, wanting to represent South Africa well and with pride.
A neighbor
The community
Welcome to Cape Town
Singing in Cape Town from South Africa Street Soccer Docum on Vimeo.
Martin Afrika
Upon arrival in Cape Town we met up with David Abrahams, who runs the Western Cape Street Soccer League, and joined him as he traveled to Atlantis, a community where Vuyo, one of his young players lives, to get some paperwork signed that will allow him to play in the Homeless World Cup. Atlantis is a Colored community and without any traffic is about an hour outside of Cape Town. Most of the residents of Atlantis work in Cape Town and commute on community-devised public transportation every day.
David is the volunteer president for the Western Cape Street Soccer League. He has a full time job yet spends full time hours also making sure these boys have everything they need to get to the Homeless World Cup, pursues them when they go missing, and works with local NGOs who provide support to the players outside of practice and games. After running to Atlantis, we stopped by MyLife, a local NGO, to check out paperwork on the prison records of two of the team’s key players.
Martin Afrika is the captain of the team. He has been living on the streets since he was a little boy and is now almost 30. He’s been in and out of jail several times and is vigorously trying to move his life into a healthy place. Martin is full of smiles and openness to share details of his life story. He shared with us that he struggles to find a place to call home because when he goes back into his old community, they are afraid of him, based on his past behaviors, and he is afraid to get lost in that lifestyle again. He has begun to form a family with his fellow teammates and speaks fondly of them and the bond they are beginning to form as brothers.
There is currently no found record that Martin exists. Right now, he is unsure of whether or not he will be able to make it to Melbourne because he has no birth certificate, no ID card, no proof of when he was born or where he is from. The prison system has not been helpful thus far in providing any records of his stays there and so the hunt is on for his prison records, in hopes that this will prove that he indeed does exist and can get a plane ticket to Melbourne. Martin has made it clear that this soccer team, this trip to Melbourne to play in the Homeless World Cup, are his main life sources right now. This game, this community, are what is keeping him away from drugs and alcohol, what have helped him get into a home, find a roommate and a purpose.
The next few weeks will continue to be packed from dawn until dusk. We have interviews lined up, more shoots and meetings with artists, days spent with individual members of the soccer team and, of course, the journey to Melbourne for the Homeless World Cup. There are many hoops that must be jumped through and details that must be completed for the 8 members of the soccer team to all make it on a flight and to the events in Australia. They are all full of excitement and hope and their community is rallying around them. We are anxiously waiting to see how the rest of the story unfolds.
