Shameless self-promotion. Jumu’a: The Gathering

If you’re in Cape Town or Johannesburg this week, come watch my film ‘Jumu’a: The Gathering’ at the Encounters International Documentary festival. The film is centered around a few characters in Cape Town’s Murabitun community — Muslims who differ somewhat from Cape Town’s ‘traditional’ Islamic population. They follow a Scottish Shaykh, Dr Abdalqadir as-Sufi, also known as Ian Dallas, whose teachings are based on the Maliki madhab, the school of thought of Imam Malik, one of the four leading figures in Sunni Islam, which is more commonly found in north Africa. A close-knit group of Shaykh Abdalqadir’s followers reside in the picturesque surfing town of Muizenberg. Young and hip, they manage to balance serious devotion with a modern lifestyle. Commissioned by SABC as part of their ‘Issues of Faith’ series, ‘Jumu’a’ is a window into the world of this little known way of life. The film was edited by Khalid Shamis, who also edited Afrikaaps and won Best Documentary at Encounters last year for ‘The Imam and I’.

Screening dates: in Cape Town today, 11 June at 6h30 pm at the Fugard Theatre and on Monday, 18 June at 8h30 pm at Nu Metro, V&A Waterfront (With a Q&A by myself and the cast). In Johannesburg: Saturday, 16 June at 4 pm at The Bioscope.

Further Reading