The early rains which wash away the chaff before the spring rains

Der frühe Regen, der die Spreu abwäscht, bevor der Frühlingsregen einsetzt

Forum Expanded 2023

“The title of this film translates to the Shona word ‘Gukurahundi,’ a cynical euphemism that refers to a series of massacres that were executed by the Zimbabwean military in the 1980s. The genocide happened within the wake of Zimbabwe’s liberation and targeted the Kalanga and Ndebele people, part of my paternal ancestry. Symbols, commonly referred to as ‘daggers’ and whose origin can be traced back to the Library of Alexandria (280 BCE), persistently chapter the imagery within the film.
The work consists of widely sourced footage, cut and cropped into a mosaic evoking ghosts in the shape of nationhood and ancestry. Gaping wounds that are sorely mended by wisps of Christian and Bantu mythology enact rippling effects throughout the years that followed Zimbabwe’s emancipation. Adversities drawn from past centuries emerge and collide with the psychological impact of racial oppression. The early rains which wash away the chaff before the spring rains interlaces the historical context of the genocide with affective associations derived from its traumatic legacy. It articulates a sense of grief, fear, and violence that has been passed down through generations.” Heiko-Thandeka Ncube

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by Heiko-Thandeka Ncube (Director, Screenplay) Germany 2023 Ndebele 12' Colour World premiere

Crew

Director	Heiko-Thandeka Ncube
Screenplay	Heiko-Thandeka Ncube
Editing	Heiko-Thandeka Ncube
Music	Heiko-Thandeka Ncube
Sound Design	Heiko-Thandeka Ncube
Sound	Heiko-Thandeka Ncube
Producer	Heiko-Thandeka Ncube

Produced by

Heiko-Thandeka Ncube

Heiko-Thandeka Ncube

Heiko-Thandeka Ncube is an artist, writer and filmmaker based in Berlin. His practice investigates how cultures derive meaning through suffering and how narratives, drawn out of collective memories, coincide with acts of violence. Thereby Ncube’s work unfolds along the intersections of political oppression, the Abrahamic religions and Bantu mythology, in particular the lines along his Ndebele ancestry.

Filmography

2020 Islands; 5 min. · Know your master; 7 min. 2021 Auf Biegen und Brechen; 2 min. 2022 The early rains which wash away the chaff before the spring rains (Der frühe Regen, der die Spreu abwäscht, bevor der Frühlingsregen einsetzt)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023