Ledwaba’s journey was inspired by his childhood pastime, an annual troupes festival called Diturupa which takes place in Makapanstad, a peri-urban community in the North West Province, 80 kilometres north of Pretoria. Ledwaba was piqued by the tradition, which for decades has been staged in military regalia and Scottish kilts.
The film is inspired by World War l when black African men returned home from Europe with memories of the war. However, behind the electric Diturupa festival lies the truth of how the black soldiers were treated as sub-human at the battlefront, thousands of miles away from home.
“My journey took me to historians in Pretoria, Cape Town, and Germany where research has been showing a painful past for black soldiers who fought in the Great War,” says Ledwaba, who also co-directed the film.
Producer Francis Hweshe says they are thrilled that the film has also been picked up by African festivals such as the Durban International Film Festival and Zanzibar International Film Festival. “It is important for Africans to watch a film that is told from their own perspective,” he adds.
Troupes of War: Diturupa has an array of characters that add depth to the issue. These include descendants of soldiers that perished in the South African naval tragedy, when more than 600 men perished when the SS Mendi, the ship carrying them to Europe collided with another in the English Channel in February 1917.
“The fact that this film is released 100 years after the SS Mendi tragedy is significant, and we hope the audiences will learn a lot about the participation of black soldiers during World War l and World War ll,” says Davison Mudzingwa, Troupes of War director.
The documentary film is produced by Mvura Ya Afrika (MYA) Productions and Mukurukuru Media.
You can watch the trailer here.
For more information, visit www.myaproductions.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook.