South African and Cape Town Muslims in particular often do not realise that their history is rooted in a colourful and undiscovered legacy of famous scholars, such as Abadin Tadia Tjoessoep, more commonly known as Sheik Yusuf of Macassar. Known as the ‘Father of Islam in South Africa’, his shrine remains one of the most important religious and historical sites for Muslims in the country. The alim, who was of noble descent, was exiled to the Cape of Good Hope in 1693 and played an important role inestablishing Islam in the Cape.
Now a South African film maker has taken on the mammoth task to tell the story of the icon’s life through documentary. A former religious studies academic, Dr Eugene Botha, believes the story of Sheikh Yusuf of Macassar is not only relevant to Muslims, but is also a story that all South Africans should know about. “The development phase of the documentary is currently underway and we hope to base this film on the life of the esteemed Sheik,” he told VOC Drivetime.
Producers decided to follow the independent route with the film, which means that the documentary would need a fairly big budget. “We would need to travel to the locations throughout the world and also interview the academics working on his life story. It is actually a fairly big undertaking and not just a regular quick broadcast.” Challenge Botha said he was up for the challenge as it is a story that deserves to be told. “Funding plays a large role in putting together ideas like this, but this film would be rewarding too as Sheikh Yusuf was a transnational figure.”
The passionate film maker said his understanding of religions and cultures stems from his 20 years of experience as a lecturer of Religious Studies at University of South Africa (UNISA). While it was his field of expertise, Dr Botha decided to venture into film making full time. He then did a series for SABC entitled, Religions of SA, which dealt briefly with a variety of religions prevalent in South Africa including Islam. His film production documented a brief look at the tenets of Islam which included the Five Pillars, but in passing, also discussed how Islam came to the shores of South Africa. Through this process, he came across the story of Sheik Yusuf and was drawn in to the life of the political prisoner, the more he read about it. “I then realised that this story has to be told as it is not only a story about religion, but he was also the first liberation theologian at the time. Sheikh Yusuf was a freedom fighter and humanitarian and his story links SA to an area of the world, which we know very little about.” Botha noted that Sheik Yusuf was admired for his character and personality so much so that he was revered by his arch enemies too. “He was respected to such an extent that they gave him a stipend when he was exiled to Cape Town. He influenced the social strata at the Cape in an immensely powerful way.”
The development funding came from the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and would be an achievement if they approved the project. Botha said he also approached the National Awqaf Foundation of South Africa (Awqaf SA) for assistance who contributed as well, in addition to the Kalla Family in Laudium. He said they had just submitted a proposal for Production Funding to the NFVF as well. “We are fairly confident that they will assist again and we submitted a proposal to the Gauteng Film Commission too. However, both these bodies will not fund a full film and we will still be in need of funding.”
Sheik spent 20 years of his life in the Middle East and became a significant figure in his own right there. The alim is a national hero in Indonesia as well. “When Indonesia declared their independence they did so at the site of his kramat in Indonesia. Sheik Yusuf was definitely a significant figure in history, but he was also a bridge builder across a vast space from the Middle East, to Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Southern Africa.” Botha added that this amazing piece of history had not been told adequately probably as a result of the isolation in SA, prior to 1994. “The link had not been established with Indonesia and the Indonesian archipelago and even India. The situation has now changed but the story remains untold.”
Courtesy: Voice of the Cape (VOC) (Aqeelah Bawa) (Edited).
Wednesday, 05 September 2012
