MovieChat Forums > Beat the Drum (2006) Discussion > Is Johannesburg really like it's portray...

Is Johannesburg really like it's portrayed in the film?


I was just wondering. I never htought there were people living under bridges, and that Zulus were pretty much shunned from society.

I understand that AIDS was prevalent, but didn't know that Zulus were ignorant towards the fact that it is a disease.

This movie was sad, but can anyone help me out? South African society is interesting, is all.

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The Zulus were not ignorant to the disease. They were scared. It's the same idea behind postponing an AIDS test or not going to the dr when feeling ill. The people were scared of the prognosis. If they confronted the monster head on, they would have to face the reality of the disease and the implications of the illness. Those people knew they had no money to buy the medicine that probably wasn't available to them to begin with. If "the sickness" was identified as HIV and AIDS, the people infected would have to face their death sentence. On top of that, you contract the disease through sexual contact. Men cheating on their wives and vice versa would have to acknowledge their affairs to their families. The implications in the film were not that of ignorance but of fear and denial.

As far as the children living under bridges, South Africa is a country ravaged by AIDS. Orphaned children end up on the streets for lack of somewhere else to go. Entire families are lost to AIDS. The effects of the apartheid is still wreaking its havoc on the native population and now, AIDS has wiped out millions.

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Yes. Like any large city, there are good and bad areas of town. People do sell animal and body parts at the Muti market, and children flow into the city to beg on the street corners as depicted in the film. In large cities like JoBurg, AIDS is understood but as you get farther out of town there are many myths about AIDS that are difficult to change. See the interview with David Hickson on the Beat the Drum website: www.beatthedrum.com

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Yes - for those who are poor this is accurate depiction, and some do live under the freeway.

No - Zulu's are not shunned from society in the sense you are saying as this is post-Apartheid there are rich Zulus, middle class Zulus, poor urban Zulus, and poor rural Zulus - the film shows the two types of poor Zulus but not so much the middle or wealthy ones. I would see Tsotsi if you want to see the middle and rich compare to the poor urban native SA'ers in terms of living condition.

In general with more wealth is more education and knowledege about the disease.

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