Cape Town TV is set to broadcast “Steek My Weg / Hidden Away”, a compelling documentary by Dr Jacob Cloete from the University of the Western Cape (UWC), on 6 December 2024. This film delves deep into the intertwined struggles of environmental conservation and social justice in Barrydale's Hessequa community.

When Dr Cloete visited the rural Western Cape town of Barrydale in 2018, he intended to make a film about the |khâbara or the rieldans, an ancient celebratory dance performed by the San, Nama and Khoi. However, there was a more pressing issue the community of Smitsville wanted to highlight. At the time they were working on their annual giant puppet parade, “River and Redfin”, facilitated and supported by the University of the Western Cape’s Centre for Humanities Research, Net Vir Pret, Ukwanda Puppets and the Handspring Puppet Company.

“Instead of the |khâbara, Peter Takelo and Lando Esau wanted me to focus on the forced removals and the effects of big agricultural projects on the environment and the Hessequa community of Barrydale. And so, a three-year documentary film project unfolded,” said Dr Cloete, who also directed “Bittersoet” and “The Broken String”.

This documentary film, named after a hidden-away neighbourhood in the small Karoo, explores the lasting effects of colonialism and apartheid on the Hessequa community of Barrydale.

“This film not only reveals the relationship between corrupt municipal officials and big international agricultural projects. It also illustrates how historical injustices, such as the forced removals during apartheid, contributed to all indigenous beings’ systematic erasure along the Tradouw Valley,” said Dr Cloete.
 

• Watch the first “Steek My Weg / Hidden Away” broadcast on Friday, 06 December 2024, at 14:00, and Sunday, 08 December 2024, on Cape Town TV (DSTV Channel 263). For more information, contact Dr Jacob Cloete at jjcloete@uwc.ac.za.