The Gods Must Be Crazy - A review

This South African parody flick was created by Jamie Uys. Strolling to what he believes is "the edge of the earth" to restore the abhorrent thing to the divine beings, the bushman experiences human advancement. The motion picture contrasts two unmistakably various social orders: the "Bushmen" of the Kalahari desert, and the non-military personnel urbanites of post-provincial Africa. It goes about as a purposeful anecdote for the effect of innovation on society; the two its advantages and its entanglements.

The film starts by displaying the obvious contrasts between the "crude" culture of the native Xhosa-speaking Bushmen and the "cutting edge," mechanically unrivalled culture of the advanced world. The Kalahari desert is a premonition place, the film states, yet the "little individuals" who call it home live basic lives without law, viciousness, or disturbance. Xi, our lead hero, is acquainted with a flighty cast of characters, each speaking to an alternate social point of view towards innovation and its buddy innovation. Kate Thompson, the appealing yet finicky writer, is imported from South Africa to function as a teacher. Andrew Steyn, the ungainly yet approachable biologist, utilizes innovation to think about the elephants of Botswana, or rather, their waste. Sam Boga, the hapless Latin progressive fighter, is a conspicuous mention to Che Guevara and plain defamation of socialism. Jack Hind, the smooth and swarthy entrepreneur, is an ace of innovation, is depicted as the antagonist.

This film, in my opinion, discusses the inherent cost of modernism. What is the price of all these technologies? Do their benefits outweigh the costs? In a land whereby technology is remote, the people tend to enjoy little precious things. The people would not wish to acquire advantages over the other members of the community because all members are held in the same egalitarian regard. A society that allows possession is never satisfied with the things it owns because the value of ownership is not in having things; in acquiring an advantage over others. Both Jack Hind and Sam Boga use their material resources to express their power upon others, inflicting both shame and violence. This film is a snapshot of a troubled moment in world history during the troubles of post-colonial African nationalism, the collapse of Western Industry, and the height of the Cold War.

This film had some criticism too. In the end, it's a love story between two white people and the black people does not get many voices in the movie. The white man wields technology, and thus culture, and is consistently in a position of authority. The only positive aspects of native African culture are its innocence. The film does have redeeming qualities. Though I have denounced the ethnocentrism and inherent racism underlying the entire story, it serves to outline the cultural complexities of South African apartheid. In the end, perhaps it is Xi and his Xhosa speaking “bushmen” who are the more civilized.