Docspace
Monthly Films
The
Swenkas
Dir: Jeppe Rønde
Denmark, 2004, 72 mins, Col/B&W
This documentary is a portrait of the Swenkas, a small group of working
men in post-apartheid South Africa. Men who take great pride in putting
on a flashy suit and stand out as an inspiration for others.
Men
who every Saturday night leave their grimy overalls behind and wear their
best Carducci or Pierre Cardin suits to impress the weekly selected judge.
But the group has to restructure when after their leader's demise, they
have to find a new chief. Slowly the deceased leader's son, 31 year old
Sabelo is being prepared to follow in his father's footsteps.
The film shows how the 'dressing up' is an integrated part of their spiritual
and mental life - past, present and future.