MUSANGWE
“The Fight Club”
(62’ 25”)
VISION |
AUDIO |
TIME CODE |
Game arcade |
NAT SOUND – VIDEO ARCADE VOICER: Sometimes modern life distorts the reality of physical action. Modern man is looking for a super hero. A super hero in a world of flashing LCD’s. Where action and survival of the fittest is just a push button away. But this action is virtual. These fighters, two-dimensional figures on a screen. Do real heroes still exist? |
00:00 00:12 00:20 00:42 |
Plastic bag blowing TITLE: “Musangwe –
The Fight Club” Fight club scenes |
MUSIC |
01:04 |
Woman washing at river SUPER: Venda /
South Africa Boys playing cards Old men |
MUSIC VOICER: For centuries life along the Lundevhe river, has remained the same. The pattern of African living, undisturbed. The players have changed. Grown old. The role models have changed. |
01:37 01:44 02:00 |
Women dancing Sign on tree |
TRADITIONAL MUSIC But every year there is a calling. Back to an ancient tradition. The road-signs are clear for those who know where to look. And a new champion might take the long road following the calling. To arrive here at Tshifudi. |
02:20 02:50 03:00 |
Man with cattle Fighting scenes |
CATTLE BELLS VOICER: Venda is a place filled with unusual sounds. The ringing of cattle bells is ever present. In boxing, a bell sounds the start of a round. Here bells ring all the time. And there are no rounds. Just a patch of dust. Victory or surrender. Loser or champion. |
03:08 03:30 03:50 03:57 |
New Year celebrations Men talking SUPER: 2 weeks
earlier |
NAT SOUND - CELEBRATIONS VOICER: It’s the 3rd day of the year. New year celebrations started 3 days late. It doesn’t seem to worry anybody. Time stands still for the people of Tshaulu. New year celebrations got postponed. What happened here over the past two weeks was more important than the New Year. NAT SOUND – MEN TALKING VOICER: At the end of each year, Venda men leave their jobs in the big cities and return to their rural villages. At this time, one topic is on everyone’s lips: Musangwe. It’s an age-old tradition where men and boys will display their fighting skills at the Tshifudi cattle dip. Speculation is rife on who will be this year’s champion. |
04:03 04:08 04:46 04:51 |
Cattle dip scenes Elements of cattle dip Women washing at river People arriving Women with washing Two groups Young boys |
NAT SOUND – CATTLE VOICER: The fighting ground of Tshifudi has many faces. It can look like an active cattle dip. Or be desolate and still. NAT SOUND – MUSIC & FIGHTING Guarding the memories of ancient fights. MUSIC A memorial ground. A river flows at the fighting ground. It’s a gathering place for all members of the community. The experienced fighters will be arriving later. Young boys and spectators arrive at Tshifudi. They will be the ones to start the calling: Likwa, clap your hands, likwa. Clap your hands, likwa… NAT SOUND – CLAPPING The women will finish the washing and return home. The ancestral rituals have been performed. The people are coming. MUSIC NAT SOUND The river geographically divides the fighting groups. North of the river the fighters of the Gaba & Tshaulu regions form the challenging group. To the South of the river the defenders combine to oppose the North. MUSIC The Tshifudi cattle dip lies South of the river and the Northern groups are seen as the aggressors. The boys start fighting at a young age. They are called Mambibi. The playing Mambibi are stopped when the fighting gets out of hand. From Mambibi the next level is Rovhasize or Breaksize. The young fighters stop fights on their own, by lifting their hands. |
05:36 05:43 06:12 06:33 06:40 07:20 07:50 08:22 08:37 08:59 |
Champion fighters |
MUSIC Then there are the experienced fighters. They’re in a class of their own. They’re the ones everyone’s come to see. These fighters are called Champions. Anxious crowds, dust and heat, bid them welcome. |
09:20 |
Poison Ndevana next to ring SUPER: Poison Ndevana /
Retired Fighter Boys at fighting ground Agitated spectators Women washing Old man with cattle Frans talking “Old” visuals SUPER: Frans Malala / Retired Fighter Man carried away Frans’s fists Frans Interview Donkey |
MUSIC & NAT SOUND Poison Ndevana is a local school teacher and one of the main organizers of Musangwe. He was a popular, undisputed champion for many years. POISON NDEVANA: “My father took me
to the graveside where my ancestors are buried. He was performing some
rituals there, trying to dedicate me that
one day I will become a champion on the fighting ground” MUSIC POISON NDEVANA: “If I’m taken to the forefathers, it means the whole power of my clan is upon me.” MUSIC Experienced fighters can sense the spiritual forces at play. Emotions rollercoaster. The fighting spirit has no boundaries – often spilling over to the spectators. NAT SOUND - WATER The Games at the cattle dip are weaved into the fiber of Venda life. NAT SOUND – CATTLE BELLS The old men have moved on to a more placid existence. Most of them remember the fist-playing of their youth. None of them remember it more vividly than Frans. NAT SOUND – FRANS TALKING His strength was unparalleled in the Musangwe fighting. MUSIC One punch could kill a man. And it did. MUSIC – SINGING FRANS MALALA: I still remember.
His name was Belingwe. They said: He killed
him! They shook him and
saw he was dead. VOICER: It was hard to believe that a man could kill another man with one punch. The Magistrate asked Frans to kill a donkey with one punch. FRANS MALALA: They told me to hit
the donkey because I’m very strong. I hit the donkey and it fell. They left me alone.
They could see that I was very strong. |
10:08 10:20 10:42 11:00 11:24 11:50 12:07 12:28 12:45 13:01 13:11 13:28 |
Cattle dip Fighters, alternated with shots of cattle jumping into dip Old fighters Spectators attacking one another Fighting – speed up and slow down effects Mbila players Hand signals SUPER: Poison Ndevana /
Retired Fighter “Old” footage – bulls and shadows of herd boys Fighting scenes Putting on shoes Wrapping hands with bandages Fighter doing push-ups Fighter stomping opponent Spectators sucking ice Savimbi performing |
VOICER: The dip is transformed on fighting days. The masses of cattle and herders get replaced with Fight Club spectators. And the champion fighters: JC Zulu Abraham Savimbi Diesel No-Hurry Themba Kota Pound Brown Killer The old fighters still help to raise higher spirits. The organisers anticipate the excitement. The two groups, fueled by the heat, captured by the excitement, make crowd control as physical as the most violent fight. NAT SOUND – SPECTATORS FIGHTING The violent playground is established and the anger that ignites is contagious. MUSIC AND NAT SOUND MBILA PLAYING The music of mbila players is an integral part of the games. It has a soothing effect on the crowd. Fighters communicate with their hands. It’s a show of temperament. A fist challenges. An open hand, rejects a challenge. An agreement, results in a fight. POISON NDEVANA: When it started long
ago, it started with the bulls fighting one another. MUSIC The fight of the
bulls spilled over to the herd boys. And then the herd
boys find it necessary that it is good that after the cattle come to drink
the water, then when they rest under the shade of trees they themselves start
to fight one another in the ring side. That’s how this type of traditional
fights started. VOICER: It has evolved into a two week long event. Traditional cattle-dipping days have turned into fighting days. NAT SOUND - FIGHTING The fighting is unrefined, violent, merciless. The restless crowd gets totally involved. Men and boys have come to see real men fight. MUSIC Preparations are simple: Protection against the scorching red sand. NAT SOUND And protection against the blood of an opponent. Winning the support of the crowd is vital. Fighters do whatever they can to impress spectators. NAT SOUND There are few rules that can be broken. But beating a man when he’s down, is one of them. NAT SOUND – ANGRY CROWD Dismay and emotion fill the arena. Cooling tempers and keeping cool is all part of the action. Some fighters are specialist crowd pleasers. Like Savimbi with his comical oriental style. |
13:40 15:12 15:29 16:05 16:37 17:22 18:14 19:33 20:13 20:40 |
Diesel warming up SUPER: “Diesel” / Musangwe
Fighter JC warming up Prison visuals JC fighting Diesel interview Diesel and JC fight Diesel knocks JC out Fight is stopped Diesel at river Boys swimming Angry crowd No-Hurry performing No-Hurry fighting Poison with megaphone Zulu accepting challenge Poison displaying cup People going home Man walking at sunset |
A young man arrives. DIESEL: In the ring they
call me Diesel. It’s because the
first time I went that side I was wearing the Diesel tackies. VOICER: JC is one of the most popular fighters. But he has a shady past. Littered with bad choices.
He’s fresh out of prison, where he did time for yet another violent crime. The time he spent behind bars didn’t help his preparations much. But he’s renowned for his speed. And still a dangerous opponent. DIESEL: I can say that he is
faster then me. But he do not have power. VOICER: Diesel is known for his staying power and thorough preparation. DIESEL: My main weapon, I
just train I just prepare myself physically and mentally before the fight. NAT SOUND – FIGHT DIESEL: I wanted to knock
that guy. But it’s not easy to knock someone. You have to relax and make your
mental there. I wanted to knock him. NAT SOUND - FIGHT VOICER: Diesel’s supporters are confident. JC’s brother and supporters panic. It disrupts the fighter more than the punch down. NAT SOUND - FIGHT Concerned about JC after the knock down, the experienced
organizers decide to stop the fight. Diesel withdraws to the river, victorious. NAT SOUND – BOYS IN RIVER Northern supporters are not happy. JC is from the North. His defeat has a riveting effect on the crowd. As if on cue, No-Hurry enters the ring to lift the spirits. NAT SOUND - SHOUTING He’s another hero from the North. And a great entertainer. NAT SOUND – FIGHTING Poison acts as publicity agent for the fights. For those who didn’t hear it on the local radio. NAT SOUND – POISON TALKING The fighter, Abraham, challenges a whole list of fighters in his letter. Warning of defeat at his hands. The reigning champion, Zulu, accepts his challenge. And the crowd is captivated. This year, for the first time, there’s a special cup at stake. It will go to the champion. Every time the cup is produced, the competitive spirit soars. MUSIC The Tshifudi fight club changes its face once more. As the people return to their villages. By all means available. One man will return. To win the cup. To be a hero. |
21:11 21:24 21:36 22:20 22:38 23:01 23:43 24:16 25:03 25:53 26:19 |
People reading newspaper at river Women doing washing Dogs licking Buying and drinking maize drink Boxing scout on phone SUPER: “Themba” / Musangwe
Fighter Fighter bleeding |
NAT SOUND - RIVER With Poison’s publicity of Abraham’s letter, the day holds the promise of big fights and big crowds. Early morning. The day is already heating up. The river is more then just a dividing line between the two fighting groups. On days like this, when the casualties will be high, it’s a resting place. Where fighters will nurse their wounds. “Mabundu” - a maize drink – provides energy for the long day in the sun. Professional boxers have come to see for themselves. But, this is no boxing playground. THEMBA: We use different
style of fighting. We call it “mojogo”. You use your fists like this, you
see. It’s not the same as boxing. And we don’t use the gloves. We use the
bandage. You must understand
that the fist is too strong. Stronger than the glove, you see. It’s difficult. I
mean, it’s difficult to say it’s easy. You see a lot of the
guys there bleeding. You see the fist is
too strong, ja. |
26:46 27:34 28:21 28:43 28:50 |
Fighting scenes Themba and brothers Fighting scenes “Strobe effect” fighting |
VOICER: But everyone knows there are sometimes more than fists behind the punches. MUSIC Most people around here are keenly aware of spiritual forces that sometimes determine the outcome. Today Themba and his two younger brothers Pound and Brown are sensing it too. They’re not having a good day. It’s as if they’re fighting against higher powers. At times fighters seem to be controlled by an unseen force. Fighting styles become unnatural. Violent and explicit. Uncontrollable, unpredictable. The heat helps to bring something sinister to the fighting. It infects the crowd. And they infect the fighters. Is there an unseen spiritual world at work behind the fighting? Held in disregard by Western culture. A world that gives insight to some. And blinds others. |
29:17 30:20 31:14 31:37 |
Mr Luruli’s surgery SUPER: “JC”/ Musangwe
Fighter Mr Luruli at work SUPER: Mr Luruli /
Traditional Healer Poison consulting Mr Luruli Slo-mo fight SUPER: “Killer” / Musangwe
Fighter Shadows of fighters Fighters – strobing effect Poison interview Diesel interview River Big crowd Abraham Zulu JC looking for water Confronting Abraham Zulu getting advice Zulu & Abraham fight Abraham falls Fighters circling Fight ends as spectators protest Beating unruly crowd back Cattle next to fighting ring No-Hurry performing Savimbi fighting Supporter imitating |
Consulting traditional healers or nyangas, is part of Venda tradition These “Spirit Doctors” are in contact with the spirits of the ancestors. MUSIC The afflictions they treat can be physical, or spiritual. The nyanga’s powers are legendary. It is believed they can coax spiritual forces to influence the outcomes of events. NAT SOUND – GIRL SCREAMING The strong medicine they use is called muti. JC: Everybody uses muti.
It just depends how strong your muti is. VOICER: Mr Luruli is one of Venda’s most respected nyangas. The community believes he has a special gift, and fears
his powers. Mr LURULI: I can rub muti on
you. Then you fight better. Your opponent will be powerless. The muti has to be
mixed first. The best muti is snake muti. MUSIC If you can find the
Mamba snake, no-one will defeat you. VOICER: Fighters often consult the nyangas and use their muti against opponents. NAT SOUND – POISON TREATMENT POISON: There are different
types of muti that you can use. It depends on the nyanga that you consulted.
Other nyangas may give you the muti that make your opponent to become weak
when you fight with him. MUSIC KILLER: Muti is working. But
I don’t believe in muti. I believe in training. Even if you use muti, if you
don’t train the muti doesn’t work very well. POISON: There is another
muti known as “cheswiswi”. This one, when you are fighting with that person,
the person becomes invisible in front of you. MUSIC POISON: And there are
counter muti. Like salt, just mere table salt. If you go there with it, it’s
countering the muti. If you don’t have salt, you can go around and urinate on
your hands, smear that urine on your face, then the man becomes very clear in
front of you. That’s how to counter the muti. DIESEL: Mentally you just
tell yourself that you fear no-one except God, you see. VOICER: Tshifudi is filled to capacity. It’s time for the fight everyone’s been waiting for: Abraham, the challenging Goliath from the South. Against Zulu, the reigning champion from the North. JC’s defeat in the big fight with Diesel forces him to look for another role to play. The ex-prisoner’s road back has proved to be difficult. He ends up helping Zulu. And confronts Abraham for not bandaging his hands properly - a blood risk. Talk is cheap. Advisors are many. But facing this giant in the ring is the lot of one single brave man. Zulu starts with a good punch. As last year’s champion, he has to be convincingly defeated to forfeit his title.
Despite Abraham’s weight advantage and height, the fight is almost an even match. NAT SOUND – BEATING ABRAHAM TO THE GROUND The two fighters circle each other in the blistering heat. Looking for a weakness in their opponent’s defense. Neither of them flinching Neither backing down. The crowd gets impatient. And starts protesting. And the fight ends in shambles. Beating the crowd back becomes a bigger issue. But it’s as if a red flag has been waved in front of a herd of bulls. NAT SOUND – NO-HURRY SHOUTING Savimbi, the jester from the South, enters the ring. And immediately calms emotions. His supporters imitate his unique style. His almost always at the receiving end. But the people love him. NAT SOUND MUSIC |
32:12 33:02 33:37 34:18 34:52 35:00 35:25 35:53 36:05 36:50 37:12 37:27 37:46 38:52 39:20 39:46 40:32 41:02 |
Kota challenging Hitting spectator Crowd control Diesel and supporters Fighting People leaving Soundbyte – spectator |
Kota challenges Diesel. Diesel’s refusal to fight triggers the crowd all over again. Hungry for a fight, Kota vents his frustration on a spectator. Older fighters, leaders in the community, help to control the chaos. Diesel is now out of the running for the cup. But for his supporters, he’s still a hero. The fights are exhilarating. People are reluctant for the day to end. They leave in a fighting mood. They want more. SPECTATOR: But there is a
problem. We were supposed to see a fight between Poison Ndevana and Abraham
Mvumunkula. They’ve now postponed that fight to be next week or on Saturday. |
41:38 42:27 42:55 |
River SUPER: “Diesel” / Musangwe
Fighter SUPER: “Zulu” / Musangwe
Fighter SUPER: Mr Tshiviela /
Musangwe Secretary SUPER: Poison Ndevana /
Retired Fighter Women washing clothes SUPER: Ntsiruweni Mbedzi /
Mambibi Fighter SUPER: Vhamusanda / Chief
of Tshaulu Fighting – guy falling Sunset shots Boys discussing fighters and role models Cattle Man walking in sunset |
MUSIC The women will finish early at the river. MUSIC As the men leave for the Tshifudi fighting ground, they continue with their household chores at home. Women are not allowed at the fights. DIESEL: If there is blood on
my clothes, and I come back from the Games, I will give her the clothes and
she will do the work. That’s just how it works. No problem. NAT SOUND – WASHING ZULU: When there’s blood
on my clothes, I’ll be forced to explain that I had been fighting. Mr TSHIVIELA: Wives are somehow
you see. They are very much afraid. They don’t want to see somebody bleeding.
But we ignore them, and push our sons to go and play with other boys outside
there. We just ignore our wives and I take my sons and we go, off we go. POISON: Mr TSHIVIELA: She’ll be worried
about seeing the blood on the shirt. But after all, if she hears that her son
had won, she becomes very much happy. NTSIRUWENI: I would not like my
mother to come. If they punch me,
she may faint. VHAMUSANDA: I don’t know why
women are not allowed. Women are very scared. That’s why they don’t go. Those
people are hitting each other! MUSIC VHAMUSANDA: The wife will say:
You were punched! That will show disrespect. MUSIC CATTLE BELLS VOICER: When the Musangwe fighting is over, life will go on as usual. With one exception: There will be a new champion. A new local hero in the area. The temptations for Venda youth are many. They need role models. Neighborhood heroes they can look up to. BOYS CHATTING: “I don’t think
Abraham can beat Poison.” “He’s not
experienced enough.” “When Abraham fought
Zulu, it was a 50/50 fight.” “Some fighters have
many fights. Others fight only once.” “JC doesn’t deserve
to win.” “He was in prison –
just like last year.” “JC is a trouble
maker.” “He doesn’t realize
he’s a role model for young kids.” NAT SOUND – CATTLE BELLS MUSIC |
43:19 43:52 44:09 44:30 44:54 45:19 45:28 45:40 46:42 47:22 47:28 47:33 47:40 47:49 47:53 48:02 48:12 |
River Early morning – houses Savimbi preparing Savimbi knocked down, consoled Fighting – slo-mo / speed-up Storm clouds Fighting / Shouting Crowd pointing Culprit punched Poison addresses crowd SUPER: “Killer” / Musangwe
Fighter Someone quips Poison |
NAT SOUND – FROG VOICER: Today is the final day of fighting. There has to be a winner. NAT SOUND – CROWDS Once again it’s Savimbi that draws attention. NAT SOUND – SAVIMBI SHOUTING He’s no athlete. But he’s the common man’s hero. NAT SOUND – CHEERING MUSIC The young fighters have the crowds on their feet. MUSIC The people want a champion. The atmosphere is loaded. And it’s not only among the fighters that the storm clouds are gathering. The fighting grows in intensity. NAT SOUND – FIGHTING Everyone’s looking for a role model. Then things go dreadfully wrong. A spectator has attacked a rival with a rock. The culprit is hunted down. It was the young man in the orange T-shirt. He apologises profusely. But the organizers have had it with the undisciplined spectators. He’s punished on the spot. NAT SOUND - SIREN Confusion reigns. Is this the end of this year’s games? NAT SOUND – POISON Poison Ndevana – respected champion of many years – angrily reminds Venda men why they are here. NAT SOUND – POISON It’s about respect for their age old tradition. And respect each other. KILLER: There is no-one who
can kill Poison. I respect that guy. I respect that guy. Even though I am
still young. I respect that guy. Just because that guy he knows what he’s
doing on the side of boxing. NAT SOUND – POISON VOICER: Anyone who shows disrespect to a champion is challenged to prove his mettle in the ring. POISON: |
48:40 49:14 50:00 51:00 51:30 52:25 52:50 |
Cup displayed Rain starts falling Young boys fighting Crowd Fights JC fighting JC Interview Themba fighting Themba knocking opponent Themba challenging Themba knocked on ground Hand signals Traffic jam |
VOICER: The cup flashes in the sun. Then the heavens open. MUSIC The heat is broken. And the tense atmosphere with it. NAT SOUND – RAIN FALLING A revival is taking place at Tshifudi. And it’s the young boys who are calling the men back for more. NAT SOUND – “Likwa!” They want their tradition to continue. And once again the crowd is inspired. MUSIC The fighting ground of Tshifudi. It’s a place where new heroes are born. NAT SOUND - FIGHTING And old ones, honoured. It’s a place where personal obstacles can be overcome. With his streetfighting style, JC the ex-convict thrashes a much bigger opponent. NAT SOUND – CHEERING To many he’s an icon. But he realizes that he’s not the best role model for his young supporters. And he’s determined to sort his life out. JC: I realize that I’m
losing my balance. I was drinking a lot. I used to fall down very early. I’m going to stop
drinking and start training. VOICER: Some obstacles are physical. THEMBA: I was not a fighter
then. I was a coward. The guys at school used to hit me. But one day my
father saw me fighting with another guy and I was running away. And he said:
“Go back and fight with him.” MUSIC So I go back and
fight and I win the fight. Since then I was a brave man. VOICER: Everyone’s looking for a role model. The brave young man is a rising star of the Games. Brave enough to challenge two opponents at once. A champion in the making who fights fiercely. Whose spirit cannot be broken. But who will be crowned this year? MUSIC Every year there is a calling. Every year there is a response. A calling that causes a traffic jam. A traffic jam in the middle of nowhere. |
53:07 53:26 54:20 54:40 55:13 55:56 56:26 57:00 57:53 |
Fighting ground on final day Zulu cutaways Guy with Bob Marley T-shirt Organisers with cup Zulu with cup Zulu sparring with older fighters River Women washing at river Boys catching ants Baby with chair Tshiviela with family Plastic bag falling at fighting ground |
There is no final fight on the final day. No final round. Untill the very end no-one is quite certain who will be crowned champion. Elders decide who fought worthily. Someone who showed the necessary respect. And deserves the title of “Champion.” Because everyone’s looking for a role model. They’ve made their choice. NAT SOUND – “There’s
the champion!” VOICER: Zulu. He was undefeated. And a worthy role model. ZULU: I have one wife and
one child. VOICER: A humble champion. ZULU: I never told her I’m
a champion. MUSIC VOICER: In Venda, fighting is a part of life. NAT SOUND – FIGHTING AND CHEERING Today these boys are catching warrior ants. In a couple of years, they’ll be warriors in the Tshifudi fighting ring. Mr TSHIVIELA: “Even the little
ones will also follow our tracks.” MUSIC Mr TSHIVIELA: “If I’m not
mistaken. And it will never never die.” MUSIC CREDITS |
58:30 59:39 01:00:19 01:00:30 01:00:46 |
Producer / Cameraman
Rian Horn
Narrator
Greg Melvill-Smith
Music
Pitchie Rommelaere
Telecine Colourist
Wiggie Ellenberger
Narration Sound
Trevor Pienaar
Translation
Tshibubudze Fulufhelo
Mushidzhi Avhapfani Irene
Production Company
Odd Looking Tree