A NEW short film by artist Sethembile Msezane brings motherhood and nature into the spotlight, asking people to reflect on themselves.
Isimo made its debut on Tuesday and is available to view online at the Gallery of the University of Stellenbosch (GUS).
The film was produced by Msezane as part of the Mellon Residency Fellowship with GUS and the Department of English. She has been part of the fellowship since July last year.
Msezane said she was compelled to produce Isimo to explore questions of individual wellness during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our wellness has been very questionable for a very long time for various reasons,” she explained. “Oftentimes we neglect it because of the demands that come with living in a very fast-paced world. The pandemic has not only heightened social issues, but it’s done a good thing of making us slow down and reflect, which is a luxury in the times we live in.”
Since graduating from the University of Cape Town with a fine arts degree in 2012, Msezane has gained notoriety with exhibitions across South Africa. Notably, her work was included in the inaugural exhibition of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, as well as displayed at The Royal Ontario Museum in Canada.
Isimo stars Msezane as a matriarchal figure against the backdrop of Hoerikwaggo, also known as Table Mountain. Split into four chapters, the film explores the figure’s relationship with nature, her children and the impact modern life has had on traditional beliefs. The children are played by Onele Rasmeni, Neo Rasmeni, and Mbali Mvabaza.
“We hear the figure speaking in the beginning and she makes us aware that we haven’t been living, that we think we’re alive but with every disturbance that enters our lives and we hold on to them, we can’t say that with honesty,” Msezane explained. “Before the world denied your skin colour, before you knew what was between your legs, do people remember the warmth of their mother’s womb and love?”
The film also features names and descriptions of indigenous plants that are used in traditional medicine. Msezane said it was partly inspired by the teachings of Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, a Zulu sangoma who passed away in March last year.
“He spoke of the Mother mind, teachings of African forms of knowledge,” she explained. “He asks us to feel. The Mother Mind is in everything and we should all aspire to live by it because it connects us to every kind of element. Rocks, trees, people. All of it is connected. It is necessary to feel everything, we are not just here in the now, we exist on multiple levels.”
Shot in Deer Park in Table Mountain National Park, Msezane added she had forged a connection with the area during the national lockdown.
“I was very stimulated by the colours of the rocks and the textures of the plants, the sounds of water,” she explained. “Everything feels very heightened in that place because I was indoors for so long. You see a lot of that in Isimo, attention to the details. I try and express all of those feelings of being in nature.”
Msezane hoped the film would propel viewers to reflect upon themselves and their lives.
“Isimo means a state of being,” she said. “It could be the state of the nation, affairs, the economy. It refers to the situation of something. I want people to reflect and work out what they can do for themselves.”
Isimo is available to view for free. To watch the film, go to www.gus-gallery.co.za