Outsiders, fairy tales and rainbowism in South African comedies: Soweto Green: This is a ‘Tree’ Story (Lister, 1995) and Fanie Fourie’s Lobola (Pretorius, 2013)

Abstract

This article uses a sociological approach to analyse David Lister’s Soweto Green: This is a ‘Tree’ Story (1995) and Henk Pretorius’ Fanie Fourie’s Lobola (2013). Although both films, made nearly twenty years apart, fall under the broad category of ‘rainbow nation’ comedies, they indicate a shift in the representations and understanding of South African identities from the highly politicized identities of the 1990s to the emergence of hybrid identities. This shift provides insights into the ways in which post-apartheid South African society has evolved, while at the same time maintaining some continuities. Analysing comedies is particularly useful because the success of comedy depends highly on the social perceptions and world-views of the audience. Thus, comedies can provide great insights into the economic and sociopolitical conditions of the societies within which they emerge. The article will also explore the ideological implications of embedding rainbowism within fairy-tale romances.