The Sending of the Crows

Drawing from the legends of the Dia!kwain in the Southern African San language |xam, The Sending of the Crows interprets the tale of three crows sent by |xam women to search for their lost husbands, only to learn they’ve been slain by a Dutch commander. Set against the backdrop of colonial violence in South Africa, the film blends poetic animation with visceral soundscapes and spoken word, to reflect on ideas of memory, loss and cultural survival. The film explores the legacy of Dutch colonialism in South Africa, and the resilience of the |xam people and their descendants, through an artistic revolt against the past. Together with a spoken word piece by South African singer and poet Janine Overmeyer (Blaq Pearl), The Sending of the Crows is a haunting elegy of resistance, honouring the ceremonial act of storytelling which echoes the grief and memory of a silenced past.