On Sunday, 12 October 2014, Cape Town hip-hop group Dookoom’s new music video, Larney Jou Poes, premiered on City Press.
The first track on their new EP, A Gangster Called Big Times, Larney Jou Poes – which also played on Vice’s music channel Noisey this week – tells the story of a farm uprising in the Western Cape, an area where tensions have flared regularly between farmers and workers.
“Farmer Abrahams had many farms; many farms had farmer Abrahams,’ sings Cape Flats underground legend and Die Antwoord collaborator Isaac Mutant, amending the children’s gospel song Father Abraham. “I work one of them, and so do you, so let’s go burn one down.’ The music video ends with the band having fire branded their logo onto the farm, which according to Mutant represents a reclaiming of the land.
On Tuesday, 14 October, minority rights group AfriForum laid a complaint of hate speech against Dookoom with the South African Human Rights Commission, but Mutant says, “We’re not inciting violence. No one gets hurt in the video. But it’s about claiming the land and being angry, because we have a right to be angry.’
Larney Jou Poes is an impressive debut from director Dane Dodds. “When Isaac sent me a few tracks to choose from, Larney Jou Poes made me feel the most uncomfortable,’ says Dodds. “As the son of a farmer, I know those feelings are there, so I just wanted to make people talk about them, because they’re often swept under the carpet.’
Dookoom recently signed to 88 Management, who also represent Hugh Masekela and BLK JKS.
For more information on the band visit the Dookoom website.
Watch the Larney Jou Poes music video.
Read AfriForum’s press release about the hate speech charge here.
