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Fokof skyn heilig under Encounters limelight

6 Jul 2009

“Forgive them for they know not what they do” is the subtitle of the Fokofpolisiekar documentary that debuted at the Encounters Documentary Film Festival 09 this past Friday. It is somewhat ambiguous if the title refers to the band themselves or the political and social situation and people surrounding them. It is most probably both if the documentary is anything to go by. Director Brian Little has achieved a thoughtful and entertaining film that not only focuses on the history of Fokof but also why this particular band has become so popular and successful.

Fokof skyn heilig under Encounters limelight

Anyone who has been to a Fokof gig would know that they have some pretty intense fans, and I mean really really intense fans; Girls who feel lucky if they get thrown up on by Francois and guys who would feel cheated it they didn't get a couple of injuries after moshing their hearts out. This overwhelming adoration and support of the band is exactly what decided Little and the crew from Fly on the Wall to create the docci and find out what exactly was it about these five guys that struck a chord so deeply with today's generation and particularly today's young Afrikaners.

There has been a great history of music and bands that have rebelled against the current system and in doing so tapped into a whole disgruntled generation of youngsters looking for someone to voice their frustrations. Just look at the Beatles and Sex Pistols and their respective musical revolutions. Ok so Fokof is not quite on The Beatles and Sex Pistols level but there is no denying that their fans think they are the best thing since the skinny jean pant.

The documentary goes some way in explaining the success of the band; in a post apartheid area and in the stuffy confines of suburbia young Afrikaners were struggling with how they saw themselves and lingering traces of white guilt. “Too young to really understand apartheid but too old to ignore it”; teenagers were rebelling against turning into their parents and what better way to rebel than with music and with a punk band that sang “in sy eie taal nogal”. Up till 2003 when Fokof formed Afrikaans music was pretty much sokkie and Christian tracks and an Afrikaans punk band was unheard of let alone a band with the name Fokopolisiekar which automatically either excited or antagonised people from the get go.

The film is beautifully edited and told and is pretty much a retrospective look at Fokof and is narrated by the band, fans and those close to them. As an English townie and not all together that familiar with the Afrikaans language (actually we're pretty much strangers) I came to the realisation that I have not fully appreciated previous Fokof live gigs as much as I should have. As a really strong component of the bands success is not just their energy and intensity but also their honest, raw and often quite beautiful lyrics (which were helpfully sub-titled in the film). Lyrics that question and challenge ideas of religion, tradition and heritage in a new South Africa.

So who are Fokofpolisiekar really? Are they a band that revolutionised a generation and gave them a voice and a desire to challenge the status quo and single handily make Afrikaans culture cool or are they just five angry white boys who wanted to delay growing up and get fucked in the process, well it's both really and in this case it would be pretty difficult to have one without the other.