In AFRIKAAPS, Dylan Valley explores the untold Creole history of Afrikaans, using what he knows best - Hip Hop, humour and personal perspective. The film follows a group of local artists creating the critically acclaimed stage production, AFRIKAAPS, as they trace the true roots of Afrikaans to slaves in the Cape. Both funny and moving, the film goes beyond what happens on stage to reflect how this history informs the cast's personal lives today. The film reclaims and liberates Afrikaans from its reputation as the language of the oppressor, taking the language back for all who speak it. It features Jitsvinger, Kyle Shepherd, Emile (Black Noise), Shane Cooper (Restless Natives, Tribe), Moenier Adams, Blaq Pearl, the powerhouse b-boy, Bliksemstraal, and the poetic genius of Jethro Louw.

AFRIKAAPS breaks ground by boldly attempting to reclaim Afrikaans - so long considered a language of the oppressor - as a language of liberation. Hip hop poet and performer Jitsvinger, jazz pianist Kyle Shepherd and singer and poet Blaq Pearl trace the origins of Afrikaans back to the 1600s and follow it through to the present day in a musical, captured by the film. By combining various musical styles, poetry and video, they set out to redefine the untold story of the language as it has developed over the years. In true hip-hop style, incorporating beats and rhymes, glitches and scratches, this cutting-edge hiphopera looks at the language of the people of the Cape and celebrates all its different influences.

DVD
Director: Dylan Valley
Country: South Africa
Language: English, Afrikaans and Slang with English Subtitles
Stars: Jitsvinger, Bliksemstraal, Blaq Pearl and Emile YX.

Year: 2010
Runtime: 50 Minutes (South African International Documentary Film Festival) & 60 Minutes (Vancouver 2011)
Documentary Feature

Parental Guidance - Course Language

Awards
South African International Documentary Film Festival - Joint winner: Best Audience Award for a South African Film 2010