Filmmaker Sihle Hlophe trades places and gets in front of the camera to document her reservations about the transactional, patriarchal, and heteronormative elements concerning lobola.
SABC recently announced the premiere of the new thought-provoking two-part documentary, “Lobola, A Bride's True Price?”, to air on March 27 and April 3 at 9.30pm
The doccie follows the newly engaged filmmaker as she turns the camera on herself and shares her reservations about this traditional practice.
In an effort to learn more about the practice before making her final decision, Hlophe attends the lobola ceremonies of three couples.
Their cultures collide during the negotiations, making it abundantly clear that they have different understandings of what lobola is and how it should be conducted.
According to a statement released by the channel, the intriguing documentary dives deep into the less talked about issues of socially constructed gender roles, the significance of African spirituality, the monetisation of lobola and the evolution of African culture.
The statement continues: How far have we have come, and how far do we still need to go? Hlope also finds herself in a challenging position regarding her lobola negotiations following her father’s passing.
“Hlope is left wondering who will receive her lobola now that her father is no more.
Hlope told IOL Entertainment: “Initially, I was reluctant to be on camera because I am a director and I am not very comfortable behind the scenes.
“I felt self conscious but the cinematographer, Kutlwano Mabusela, helped me to feel more comfortable in front of the camera.
“After debating with myself for some time, I realised that I was the conduit through which this story needed to be told and then I surrendered myself to the process.
“Would I be on camera again? I highly doubt it but I did what I had to do for the purpose of telling this story in the manner that it needed to be told in.
“Being a storyteller is an empowering and fulfilling job, I wouldn't change it for anything in the world".
“Lobola, A Bride's True Price?” recently had its world premiere at the “Pan African Film Festival” in Los Angeles in February 2023.
It was the runner-up of the Adiaha Award for Best Documentary Film by an African Woman at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival (2022) and a nominee in the Best Documentary category at the Africa Academy Movie Awards (2022).