Johannesburg - This week we feature award-winning film-maker, actress, director and poet Weaam Williams.
She is best known for directing local documentary film “District Six Rising from the Dust”. The documentary won an Award of Excellence from the Scandinavian International Film Festival and a Florence Film Award for Best Original story.
Williams directorial debut, “Hip Hop Revolution”, had its international premiere at Silverdocs in 2007 and won the Best Edited Film Award at NYC Reel Sisters Film Festival in 2008, and has been broadcast in 28 countries.
Her most recent project, “Two Hues” is a short narrative film which looks at the ambiguous identity of Muslim women living in a Western context, and the duality of patriarchy. It won Best Short Film at Beyond The Curve International Film Festival (2021) and is being developed into a feature.
Weaam is passionate about tangible transformation both as an artist and activist.
The meal that most reminds you of your childhood is…?
There are many meals that take me back to my childhood, as my mother is an amazing cook. I am pescetarian now; however, my favourite dish as a child was one called “kool frikadel”. It’s a cabbage and meat stew with meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves. People also refer to this as “ou mense onder komberse”, an analogy for the cabbage covering the meatballs. It is a proper District Six meal, which my mother cooked for us when I was growing up in Walmer Estate. This was my number one favourite meal as a child. It is a very traditional meal.
You are given the choice of directing a movie on an influential South African of your choice. Who do you choose?
If it were a documentary, definitely Elon Musk. I know he is not considered politically correct; however, I would love to understand what makes him tick and how he was influenced to become what he is today. The hero’s journey, I guess, a very personal look at the man considered to be the wealthiest on the planet.
If it were a feature film, then I choose a South African who is no longer with us, Ma Miriam Makeba.
The biggest regret in your life is…?
I try my utmost to not live my life with regrets. I believe “would’ve” “could’ve” “should’ve” is destructive thinking. While it is important to analyse the past and learn from our mistakes, I choose to take the lesson, be present and use those lessons to plan the future.
What one thing has caught your attention on social media in the past week?
South Africa’s declining inflation rate sounds like good news for a change! It’s also music to my ears as a business owner who works with investment, etc.
Other than that, Meghan Markle compared herself to Nelson Mandela! There has been a lot of discussion about this in my extended family, this kind of comparison to a liberation icon imprisoned for 27 years is bound to cause controversy.
What is your definition of happiness?
My father, who I believe is a Sufi, has taught me you need two wings to fly, i.e. spiritual and physical. I am most happy when these two wings are in alignment with each other. Happiness for me is about balance.
My work life is deadline driven and sometimes requires gruelling hours, which results in exhaustion. Happiness is having time for leisure with those I love, with all material needs being taken care of. Happiness is feeling centred and grounded in my spiritual beliefs and the oneness of Allah. Happiness is an understanding of this oneness and trust in a divine plan. Happiness is in serving my family, and humanity.
The best book you have ever read is…?
“One Hundred Years of Solitude” by the Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I read this when I was about 20 years old, and could not put it down. There was something magnetic about the writing, which had me glued to every page.
If you could go back in time and change anything about your past, what would you change?
There are many things I could have done better in my past, had I known then what I know now. However, I embrace my path and the journey I have taken, the road less travelled in many respects.
I do not waste time and energy on regrets, but rather on how I can change what I am not happy with.
The person that has most inspired you in your life is…?
I am inspired by many people, there are many artists whose work I find inspiring. However, on a personal level, my Aunt Zaahida Hartley has inspired me as she has taught me from a young age about freedom and human rights.
What is one thing most people don’t know about you ?
I think I am pretty much an open book, and there are some things best left private. However, if I were to think about something quirky about myself, I am a bit of a germaphobe. I am OCD about my hands being clean, this precedes Covid. I wash my hands all the time.
Also, I guess when I make public appearances, I need to look smart, and I generally stick to simplicity and classics. However, I am quite disinterested in fashion and material things. I get excited by new ideas and out-of-the-box thinking.
You are able to collaborate on a poem with any poet in the world. Who do you choose to collaborate with?
I have collaborated with many great SA poets in the past, i.e. Malika Ndlovu, Gertrude Fester, Primrose Mrwebi and Mavis Smallberg. However, my all-time favourite poet is Rumi, so of course I would choose him.
But if I were to choose a living poet or lyricist it would be Damian Marley. I love his style and the conscious social commentary of his lyrics.