Beat the Drum

South Africa is a beautiful country full of culture, farmland and cities. This film shows two aspects of South Africa as we look both at the countryside and the city. The farmland that was first shown is so simple yet wonderful. Rolling hills flow through the land and families live close to eachother. I love the idea of living on a farm, raising your own crops and providing for a family. However, we see a very sad aspect of life that is destroyed by a terrible epidemic known as AIDS. We see many families ripped apart from AIDS. The saddest part is that many think there's a terrible curse that is killing of their family members and are not aware or educated about AIDS. Musa's family is clueless about the real curse that has come over his family. His family is willing to sacrifice their valuable animals to undo the curse they think is upon them. Musa is then forced to move to the city to raise some money to but a new cow for his family.

Musa's journey to Johannesberg is a vivid depiction of Africa's landscape. We see wild animals wandering through the land. Musa seems very confident through his journey, he is just accustomed to his surroundings and shows us his bravery through his lonely travels. The roads are paved with dirt and although we mostly see brownish red dirt covering the landscape it still radiates beauty by showing us the purity of nature. I feel at peace when I see the natural beauty of Africa and see all the life that dwells among the land.

Once Musa reaches Johannesberg we begin to see the city life of South Africa. The city can be a very dangerous place to live. This city is full of crime, rape and AIDS. We also see the struggle for survival, many are homeless and frantically looking to make money. We see Musa become a window cleaner while he competes with many others for business opportunities. The city does not look like a desirable place to live. It is basically a place for people to earn money so they can send it to their families back home.

I believe the main purpose of this film is to raise awareness about AIDS. We see how so many people are ashamed to talk about it and many don't even know what it is. Prevention can't be practiced if people are unwilling to learn about AIDS and come up with solutions to keep themselves safe. Africa has lost so many people to this disease and will continue to unless awareness is spread. It's a shame that such a beautiful country is so deadly. However, we can look to the future and hope for education and prevention.