Worldwide recognition for documentary filmed in E Cape
Sad plight of neglected older citizens examined
A documentary filmed across the Eastern Cape that looks into the plight of forgotten elderly people — who often die alone after being abandoned by their children and families — has received global recognition.
Silibalekile, which means “we have been forgotten” in isiXhosa, has been nominated by the International World Film Awards in the best feature film category.
It is the brainchild of Nwabisa MsikinyaGxabashe, a first-time documentary maker who compiled the harrowing stories of the elderly with a R200,000 budget.
The filmmakers travelled around the province including Macleantown, Ginsberg and Mdantsane in 2020. The film was released in 2022.
Msikinya-Gxabashe, a filmmaker, author and a freelance content producer for SABC radio education, said the documentary revealed the challenges faced by society’s most vulnerable population after its children.
The documentary was funded by the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts & Culture Council, a division of the department of economic development & tourism.
Born in Tsolo and living in East London, this is her first documentary.
She said the documentary was inspired by an elderly woman who lived alone and later died in her sleep. She was only discovered three days later.
“The only person I saw in the yard was a gardener, so when she died in her sleep, noone noticed until her employers came to look for her. No-one noticed because, like many of the victims in my documentary, she was forgotten.”
Senior citizens were filmed in their dilapidated rural homes.
Pained parents and grandparents interviewed spoke of how their children did not visit them because they feared they would be asked for money.
“Andifuni mali yakhe mna [I do not want my son’s money. I just want to see him’,” said one father whose son has not visited.
“Abantwana bam abandifuni [my children do not want to see me’,” shared another sad grandfather.
One grandmother talks about not having seen her grandchildren in years after they went to school in the big city. She fears she will die without seeing them.
The common pain they all face is that they long to see their children.
The production team behind Silibalekile includes Avela Luka as production assistant, Sivuyisiwe Giba as co-director and Vovee Batala as editor.
Msikinya-Gxabashe said her film was a call to the younger generation to not forget the elders in their communities.
“Our hope is that our elderly do not suffer the same fate.
“We look into different options they can use to ensure they are safe, like residential care facilities, hiring caregivers and taking time to visit parents who live alone.”
Msikinya-Gxabashe entered her film for the awards but didn’t expect it to be nominated.
“I am still in awe because this is my debut project. It is such a welcome affirmation that though I’m still the new kid on the block, I can achieve beyond my wildest dreams.
“I am thankful to everyone I worked with. The journey was not smooth as there were many hiccups during the making of the film, to a point where I was tempted to give up but God saw us through.”