Part of the awesome Filmverse 2 project - Afrikaan in Nederland is a visual interpretation of the poem "Afrikaan in Nederland" by Heilna du Plooy.
African in Netherlands (translated)
Where do all the cobblestones come from
in this country with so little rock?
The most famous boulder is a meteor,
a random hit and now a monument
in this country with so little rock?
The most famous boulder is a meteor,
a random hit and now a monument
It seems that people here are wont
to step on paved streets only and seldom touch the soil
Is that the reason for their almost rigid thoughts
even though they see themselves as tolerant?
to step on paved streets only and seldom touch the soil
Is that the reason for their almost rigid thoughts
even though they see themselves as tolerant?
In this paved over, minutely planned place,
where the yielding soil is almost out of reach
I walk without a raincoat or umbrella
so that as if on earth itself the rain lands softly on my pliant skin.
where the yielding soil is almost out of reach
I walk without a raincoat or umbrella
so that as if on earth itself the rain lands softly on my pliant skin.
My ancestors departed from this land,
they were tought to work and look on high
Three centuries in a brown land later I do know
that God teaches me to put my faith in soil.
they were tought to work and look on high
Three centuries in a brown land later I do know
that God teaches me to put my faith in soil.
Afrikaan in Nederland (original)
Waar kom al die keistene vandaan
In hierdie land met so min klip?
'n Meteoor is die bekendste rots:
'n monument toevallig neergestort.
In hierdie land met so min klip?
'n Meteoor is die bekendste rots:
'n monument toevallig neergestort.
Dit lyk my mense hier trap deurentyd
op straatplaveisel, veels te min op grond.
Is dit waarom hul denke hoekig is,
al dink hulle self dis rond?
op straatplaveisel, veels te min op grond.
Is dit waarom hul denke hoekig is,
al dink hulle self dis rond?
In hierdie toeplaveide, goed beplande plek.
hier waar die grond onbereikbaar is,
hier loop ek sonder reënjas of sambreel
dat ek, soos grond, die reën sag kan ontvang.
hier waar die grond onbereikbaar is,
hier loop ek sonder reënjas of sambreel
dat ek, soos grond, die reën sag kan ontvang.
Van hier af het my voorsate vertrek,
geleer 'n mens moet werk en kyk na bo
Drie eeue in 'n bruin land later weet ek
God leer my om in grond te glo.
geleer 'n mens moet werk en kyk na bo
Drie eeue in 'n bruin land later weet ek
God leer my om in grond te glo.
________________________________________________
BRIEF
Create an animation as a visual companion to one of the selected poems.
CLIENT
ATKV + Fopspeen Moving Pictures
ROLE
Photographer/ Editor/ Animator/ Props/ Sound/ Music
FESTIVALS
International Environmental Film Festival Green Vision
ZEBRA Poetry Filmfestival (Germany)
Joziwood - Perth South African Film Festival
This time, for the second round of Filmverse, still under the creative direction of Diek Grobler, my brother, Dewald van der Merwe and I, worked with Hanno van der Merwe to create this piece.
FILMVERSE is the brain-child of Diek Grobler of Fopspeen Moving Pictures, who together with The Afrikaans Language and Culture Association (a society that aims to promote the Afrikaans language and culture, founded in 1930), initiated this project for the advancement of Afrikaans poetry and animation in South Africa.
The poem is "Afrikaan in Nederland (African in the Netherlands)" by Heilna Du Plooy.
As with the first Filmverse, one purpose of this project was to expose people to different kinds of animation "styles", to dilute the obvious Disney/ Cartoon Network/ Pixar associations that typically arise when talking about animation. As a result there was quite a focus on experimentation but at the same time we had to keep in mind that these films would be used as an educational tool in schools as well.
