The Ovahimba tribe of the Namib Desert, descendants of the Ancient Egyptians from the era of Queen Nefertiti, and once the richest nomadic tribe in Africa, find themselves on the brink of extinction. Trapped in the 1904 Herero-Nama war, they settled in the godforsaken wastes of Kaokoland after fleeing war and genocide at the hands of the German army. Weary of the name 'Ovahimba' − which means 'beggars' − Chief Nguzu sees in his grandson a strategy for resolving their plight.

 

The movie that took "35 years to produce"

In the year 1987 the first Rugby World Cup was hosted. A noteworthy omission from the tournament was the Springbok team because of an internationally imposed sports boycott based on the repudiation of South Africa's policy of 'Apartheid'. Gerhard Uys, (Producer) and Emil Kolbe (scriptwriter) had a heated discussion on the unethical, if not immoral, practice that a rugby world tournament could be so named, without the inclusion of the formidable Springboks. If a man with super-human abilities lives in a place where no one knows of the existence of the Olympic Games and, despite being able to run 100 metres in under eight seconds (a feat that has never been achieved by man), is it not unethical to state that the Olympic Gold Medallist for the 100- metre race is the fastest man in the world? This discussion led to the writing of a screenplay and the ultimate production of 'A Fire in Africa', with the logline: 'An aspiration born in a lost civilization'....

Read More...