Africa Shafted:
The Realities of Urban Life
in Johannesburg
Ponte Towers is a landmark building in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, and not only because of its position, height or the lit-up advertising for cellular provider Vodacom along the top of its roof. For years, “Ponte”, as it is known, has been one of the most feared places in downtown Johannesburg. Seen as a notorious high-rise apartment building populated by drug-dealers, it’s a place that many people are scared to go into, never mind explore.
Even documentary director Ingrid Martens was hesitant to visit Ponte, although she had traveled to several other cities throughout Africa, as she says in this interview. When she did eventually did visit the tallest residential building in Africa though, what she found was a community of people living together from all over the continent, a way of life that was familiar to her from her travels, and a story from South Africa that she wanted to share:
Ironically, the ominous reputation of Ponte is exactly the opposite for those that live there. For over 4000 people from differing backgrounds, Ponte is a place of safety and refuge in a country that has often been less than receptive to foreign immigrants. Apart from debunking myths about the prominent concrete towers, Africa Shafted therefore also highlights the issue of xenophobia in post-apartheid South Africa, a subject dealt with in less direct ways in the movie District 9 and Zoo City, a novel by South African author Lauren Beukes.
After filming on and off for two years in Ponte’s lift, Martens released “Africa Shafted: Under One Roof”, and the film has been shown at international film festivals around the world. Filmed with the objective of non-interference, all the filming takes place in one of 8 lifts that travel 54 floors everyday and provide a platform for people from all walks of life to engage with the camera and tell their story.
The film’s soundtrack is another element of the film that speaks of the diversity of Ponte’s residents, and one that musicians from several different countries contributed to. Martens hopes that with the backup of this eclectic soundtrack, the documentary will be used as a tool to educate people about the realities of xenophobia, and the prominent social issues faced in an African city like Johannesburg.
Africa Shafted is currently showing for a limited time at the Bioscope Independent Theatre in downtown Johannesburg, which forms part of the newly developed Maboneng Precinct. This inner city location itself is evident of ongoing shifts in perception of the city centre, and a rethinking of Johannesburg as the documentary explores the complexities of urban life.
