Issie Christoffels loves the people of the Karoo. She remembers a hard youth, with very few opportunities: very few things to do, very little positive going on… Today she is against fracking in the Karoo because of the impact it could have on farming. She wishes for more projects and spaces for development where young people can find sustainable things to do with their creativity and energy. She says young people can shine where they are. This film is released as part of series created by Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba, the “true voice of the land”, based in Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo. Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba is a collaborative project established between the Support Centre for Land Change and Youth-in-Power in Graaff Reinet, and academic partners at the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies in Johannesburg, and at Leeds University in the UK. The film was one of four featured in the ‘Changemakers in Film Summit: Dissecting the gender issues surrounding social advocacy in post – conflict societies’ (21 July 2021).

Annie Arries is a primary school teacher who loves the Karoo and says she will never leave. She says here, children can still grow up as children. Her hope for small Karoo towns is more houses, more access to land, and more job opportunities for young people. The film was one of four featured in the ‘Changemakers in Film Summit: Dissecting the gender issues surrounding social advocacy in post – conflict societies’ (21 July 2021).

Mrs Jaftha was brought up in a strict home, to value the things they had, even the things they got for free. She remembers her childhood as a time of playing in the streets, a time of freedom. She loves the Karoo sunsets and sunrises. She has a lot of trust in the people of the town and the municipality. Still, she is against fracking because of impact she says it will have on water resources: she would rather see the land sustained than exploited, even if it creates work opportunities. She hopes for more recreation centres for young people. Wishes there were a Drive-In (like there used to be) - and space for a proper mall so that people don’t have to drive so far to the cities. She also argues that subsistence farming and access to land adds to your value and your pride as a South African. This film is released as part of series created by Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba, the “true voice of the land”, based in Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo. Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba is a collaborative project established between the Support Centre for Land Change and Youth-in-Power in Graaff Reinet, and academic partners at the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies in Johannesburg, and at Leeds University in the UK. The film was one of four featured in the ‘Changemakers in Film Summit: Dissecting the gender issues surrounding social advocacy in post – conflict societies’ (21 July 2021).

This short film was created by the team at Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba to highlight the crucial role that women are playing in claiming space, dreaming new futures, and implementing militant action at the frontlines of land justice in South Africa. We created it for a collaboration between the Support Centre for Land Change and Tshintsha Amakhaya where they brought women activists from across the Karoo to Graaff-Reinet for a conference on 22-24 August 2019. The film was one of four featured in the ‘Changemakers in Film Summit: Dissecting the gender issues surrounding social advocacy in post – conflict societies’ (21 July 2021).