Difference between revisions of "Tsotsi"
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| + | =The term= | ||
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[[Tsotsi]] (plural [[tsotsis]]) is a slang word referring to a young, lay-about or gangster, usually young and often referring to black or coloured individuals, though it is also found as a scathing reference to white layabouts or criminals. | [[Tsotsi]] (plural [[tsotsis]]) is a slang word referring to a young, lay-about or gangster, usually young and often referring to black or coloured individuals, though it is also found as a scathing reference to white layabouts or criminals. | ||
'''(See also the [[Afrikaans]] word [[skollie]])''' | '''(See also the [[Afrikaans]] word [[skollie]])''' | ||
| − | =Origins= | + | The term can aslo refer to a local ''patois'' spoken in urban ghettos, and has been used as the title for to a number of creative works |
| + | |||
| + | ==Origins of the term== | ||
The [[tsotsi]] culture developed in urban townships and especially black “locations” (ghettoes), in response to the economic dilemma of the times, and originally derived its “style” from the American movie culture of the 1930’s and 40’s. As [[Loren Kruger]] (1999: 87) says, the tsotsis “[t]o a degree … embodied a sort of outlaw glamour, displayed in their expensive American clothes and cars”. Among their many activities they apparently also demanded protection money from entertainers, on occasion kidnapped favourite artistes (like [[Miriam Makeba]]) to enhance their own image, or killed those who performed for rival gangs (e.g. [[Solomon “Zuluboy” Cele]]). | The [[tsotsi]] culture developed in urban townships and especially black “locations” (ghettoes), in response to the economic dilemma of the times, and originally derived its “style” from the American movie culture of the 1930’s and 40’s. As [[Loren Kruger]] (1999: 87) says, the tsotsis “[t]o a degree … embodied a sort of outlaw glamour, displayed in their expensive American clothes and cars”. Among their many activities they apparently also demanded protection money from entertainers, on occasion kidnapped favourite artistes (like [[Miriam Makeba]]) to enhance their own image, or killed those who performed for rival gangs (e.g. [[Solomon “Zuluboy” Cele]]). | ||
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During the period of the resistance struggle, the gangs often found themselves in a quandary, part of the armed struggle through their access to arms and manpower, yet tempted to exploit the situation for their own enrichment. However, the gangs became increasingly more violent and rivalry blossomed as the stringent apartheid policing was relaxed and the models gradually became the glamerous but violent American and Afro-American gangster films of the 1980’s and 1990’s. | During the period of the resistance struggle, the gangs often found themselves in a quandary, part of the armed struggle through their access to arms and manpower, yet tempted to exploit the situation for their own enrichment. However, the gangs became increasingly more violent and rivalry blossomed as the stringent apartheid policing was relaxed and the models gradually became the glamerous but violent American and Afro-American gangster films of the 1980’s and 1990’s. | ||
| − | The rackets and gangster rivalry surfaced publically and brutally after 1994 as the new constitution opened up a wide range of economic opportunities and democratic privileges to everyone, including numerous safeguards for accused criminals. A key marker of the gangs is also the multiglot street lingo they use, commonly referred to as [[tsotsitaal]]. | + | The rackets and gangster rivalry surfaced publically and brutally after 1994 as the new constitution opened up a wide range of economic opportunities and democratic privileges to everyone, including numerous safeguards for accused criminals. A key marker of the gangs is also the multiglot street lingo they use, commonly referred to as [[tsotsitaal]] (see discussion below). |
| − | |||
| + | = [[Tsotsis]] in literature, theatre and film = | ||
| − | + | Besides a number of works with the title "[[Tsotsi]]", e.g. the novel by [[Athol Fugard]] and its two spin-offs (an Oscar winning film and a local musical - '''see below'''), a number of other works have dealt with the '''phenomenon itself''', or feature characters who are considered "[[tsotsis]]". | |
| − | + | Dramatic works (stage, TV and film) include ''[[No-Good Friday]]'' (1959), ''[[Ngiyazisa]]'' (1981), ''[[Sophiatown]]'' (1986), ''[[Mapantsula]]'' (1988), ''[[Suip!]]'' (1993), ''[[The Suit]]'' (1994/2016), . | |
== ''[[Tsotsi]]'' the novel by [[Athol Fugard]] == | == ''[[Tsotsi]]'' the novel by [[Athol Fugard]] == | ||
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The novel tells the powerful story of a hardened township criminal whose life changes forever after a bungled mugging leaves him caring for a stranger's baby. | The novel tells the powerful story of a hardened township criminal whose life changes forever after a bungled mugging leaves him caring for a stranger's baby. | ||
| − | + | ===Sources=== | |
| + | Fugard, A. 1980. ''[[Tsotsi]]''. [[Ad. Donker]]: Johannesburg. | ||
| − | + | Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]] | |
| − | == ''[[Tsotsi]]'' the film == | + | == ''[[Tsotsi]]'' the film (2005)== |
| − | ''[[Tsotsi]]'' is a filmed adaptation of the novel ''[[Tsotsi]]'' by [[Athol Fugard]], a South African/UK co-production, | + | ''[[Tsotsi]]'' is a filmed adaptation of the novel ''[[Tsotsi]]'' by [[Athol Fugard]], a South African/UK co-production, scripted and directed by [[Gavin Hood]], produced by [[Peter Fudakowski]] and released in 2005. Set in an Alexandra slum, in Johannesburg, it tells the story of a young tsotsi who steals a car only to discover a baby in the back seat. |
| + | |||
| + | The film's large cast includes [[Presley Chweneyagae]] (as "Tsotsi"), [[Benny Moshe]] (as the Young Tsotsi), [[Terry Pheto]] (as "Miriam"), [[Kenneth Nkosi]], [[Mothusi Magano]], [[Zenzo Ngqobe]], [[Rapulana Seiphemo]], [[Nambitha Mpumlwana]], [[Nonthuthu Sibisi]], [[Jerry Mofokeng]], [[Ian Roberts]], [[Percy Matsemela]], [[Thembi Nyandeni]], [[Owen Sejake]], [[Israel Matseke-Zulu|Israel Makoe]], [[Sindi Khambule]], [[Bheki Vilakazi]], [[Craig Palm]], [[Jeremiah Ndlovu]], [[Sibusiso Mkize]], [[Lindokuhle Tloubatla]], [[Samuel Tsebe]], [[Katlego Maribune]], [[Tumi Sejake]], [[Juwarriyah Nkopane]], [[Lennox Mathabathe]], [[Eduan van Jaarsveldt]], [[Brian Rolfe]], [[Mbali Khumalo]], [[Joyce Moshoeshoe]], [[Moses Timati]], [[Enoch Tsotetsi]], [[Edward Oliphant]], [[Capheus Manamela]], [[Ismael Songo]], and [[Marven Lekohotsa]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Produced by [[Peter Fudakowski]], with music by [[ Vusi Mahlasela]], [[Paul Hepker]] and [[Mark Kilian]], cinematography by [[Lance Gewer]], editing by [[Megan Gill]], casting by [[Moonyeenn Lee]], production design by [[Emelia Weavind]], art direction by [[Mark Walker]], set decoration by | ||
| + | [[Nhlanhla Bhengu]], costume design by [[Nadia Kruger]] and [[Pierre Vienings]]. | ||
| − | + | Released at the Edinburgh Film Festival on 18 August 2005 and in South Africa on 23 December 2005, the film won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. | |
===Sources=== | ===Sources=== | ||
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsi | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsi | ||
| + | |||
| + | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468565/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st#cast | ||
| + | |||
| + | https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tsotsi | ||
| + | |||
| + | Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]] | ||
==''[[Tsotsi the Musical]]''== | ==''[[Tsotsi the Musical]]''== | ||
| − | A musical version based on | + | A musical version based on [[Athol Fugard]]'s 1980 novel ''[[Tsotsi]]'' (1980) and the [[Gavin Hood]] film version, the 2018 musical tells the story of a hardened township criminal ("[[tsotsi]]") whose life changes forever after a bungled mugging leaves him caring for a stranger's baby. |
| − | ''' | + | '''For more information on this version, see also ''[[Tsotsi the Musical]]''''' |
= [[Tsotsitaal]] = | = [[Tsotsitaal]] = | ||
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A generic term referring to the urban patois or street language developed in the multicultural and polyglottal milieu of the urban (largely black) ghettoes or townships. Used by gangsters or "[[tsotsis]]", as well as by younger urban dwellers across the country. Its grammatical base is Afrikaans, its vocabulary a mix of American slang and the variety of South African languages. It is a highly flexible and constantly changing language, with a large number of regional variants. | A generic term referring to the urban patois or street language developed in the multicultural and polyglottal milieu of the urban (largely black) ghettoes or townships. Used by gangsters or "[[tsotsis]]", as well as by younger urban dwellers across the country. Its grammatical base is Afrikaans, its vocabulary a mix of American slang and the variety of South African languages. It is a highly flexible and constantly changing language, with a large number of regional variants. | ||
| + | Other names found for various versions (from other root forms in some cases, but generally with the same insider function), include [[Flaaitaal]] or [[Flytaal]], [[Iscamtho]] or [[Isicamtho]], | ||
| + | |||
===Sources=== | ===Sources=== | ||
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsitaal_and_Camtho | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsitaal_and_Camtho | ||
| − | + | Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]] | |
| + | == [[Tsotsitaal]] in theatre, TV and film== | ||
| − | |||
| − | Among the theatrical works written in or containing ''[[tsotsitaal]]'' | + | Increasingly aspects of this language - in its many variations - may be found as an element in stage texts and other creative writing from the 1970’s onwards. |
| + | |||
| + | Among the many theatrical works, TV productions and films, written in or containing ''[[tsotsitaal]]'' (or approximations thereof), are ''[[Sophiatown]]'' (1986), ''[[Mapantsula]]'' (1988), ''[[Baby, Come Duze]]'' (1990), ''[[Suip!]]'' (1993), ''[[The Suit]]'' (1994/2016), . | ||
| + | . | ||
=Return to= | =Return to= | ||
Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Themes|South African Theatre Terminology and Thematic Entries]] | Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Themes|South African Theatre Terminology and Thematic Entries]] | ||
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| + | |||
| + | Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Personalities|South African Theatre Personalities]] | ||
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| + | Return to [[PLAYS I: Original SA plays]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS II: Foreign plays]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS III: Collections]] | ||
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Return to [[The ESAT Entries]] | Return to [[The ESAT Entries]] | ||
Return to [[Main Page]] | Return to [[Main Page]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:31, 19 February 2025
The term
Tsotsi (plural tsotsis) is a slang word referring to a young, lay-about or gangster, usually young and often referring to black or coloured individuals, though it is also found as a scathing reference to white layabouts or criminals.
(See also the Afrikaans word skollie)
The term can aslo refer to a local patois spoken in urban ghettos, and has been used as the title for to a number of creative works
Origins of the term
The tsotsi culture developed in urban townships and especially black “locations” (ghettoes), in response to the economic dilemma of the times, and originally derived its “style” from the American movie culture of the 1930’s and 40’s. As Loren Kruger (1999: 87) says, the tsotsis “[t]o a degree … embodied a sort of outlaw glamour, displayed in their expensive American clothes and cars”. Among their many activities they apparently also demanded protection money from entertainers, on occasion kidnapped favourite artistes (like Miriam Makeba) to enhance their own image, or killed those who performed for rival gangs (e.g. Solomon “Zuluboy” Cele).
During the period of the resistance struggle, the gangs often found themselves in a quandary, part of the armed struggle through their access to arms and manpower, yet tempted to exploit the situation for their own enrichment. However, the gangs became increasingly more violent and rivalry blossomed as the stringent apartheid policing was relaxed and the models gradually became the glamerous but violent American and Afro-American gangster films of the 1980’s and 1990’s.
The rackets and gangster rivalry surfaced publically and brutally after 1994 as the new constitution opened up a wide range of economic opportunities and democratic privileges to everyone, including numerous safeguards for accused criminals. A key marker of the gangs is also the multiglot street lingo they use, commonly referred to as tsotsitaal (see discussion below).
Tsotsis in literature, theatre and film
Besides a number of works with the title "Tsotsi", e.g. the novel by Athol Fugard and its two spin-offs (an Oscar winning film and a local musical - see below), a number of other works have dealt with the phenomenon itself, or feature characters who are considered "tsotsis".
Dramatic works (stage, TV and film) include No-Good Friday (1959), Ngiyazisa (1981), Sophiatown (1986), Mapantsula (1988), Suip! (1993), The Suit (1994/2016), .
Tsotsi the novel by Athol Fugard
The novel tells the powerful story of a hardened township criminal whose life changes forever after a bungled mugging leaves him caring for a stranger's baby.
Sources
Fugard, A. 1980. Tsotsi. Ad. Donker: Johannesburg.
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Tsotsi the film (2005)
Tsotsi is a filmed adaptation of the novel Tsotsi by Athol Fugard, a South African/UK co-production, scripted and directed by Gavin Hood, produced by Peter Fudakowski and released in 2005. Set in an Alexandra slum, in Johannesburg, it tells the story of a young tsotsi who steals a car only to discover a baby in the back seat.
The film's large cast includes Presley Chweneyagae (as "Tsotsi"), Benny Moshe (as the Young Tsotsi), Terry Pheto (as "Miriam"), Kenneth Nkosi, Mothusi Magano, Zenzo Ngqobe, Rapulana Seiphemo, Nambitha Mpumlwana, Nonthuthu Sibisi, Jerry Mofokeng, Ian Roberts, Percy Matsemela, Thembi Nyandeni, Owen Sejake, Israel Makoe, Sindi Khambule, Bheki Vilakazi, Craig Palm, Jeremiah Ndlovu, Sibusiso Mkize, Lindokuhle Tloubatla, Samuel Tsebe, Katlego Maribune, Tumi Sejake, Juwarriyah Nkopane, Lennox Mathabathe, Eduan van Jaarsveldt, Brian Rolfe, Mbali Khumalo, Joyce Moshoeshoe, Moses Timati, Enoch Tsotetsi, Edward Oliphant, Capheus Manamela, Ismael Songo, and Marven Lekohotsa.
Produced by Peter Fudakowski, with music by [[ Vusi Mahlasela]], Paul Hepker and Mark Kilian, cinematography by Lance Gewer, editing by Megan Gill, casting by Moonyeenn Lee, production design by Emelia Weavind, art direction by Mark Walker, set decoration by Nhlanhla Bhengu, costume design by Nadia Kruger and Pierre Vienings.
Released at the Edinburgh Film Festival on 18 August 2005 and in South Africa on 23 December 2005, the film won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsi
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468565/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st#cast
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tsotsi
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Tsotsi the Musical
A musical version based on Athol Fugard's 1980 novel Tsotsi (1980) and the Gavin Hood film version, the 2018 musical tells the story of a hardened township criminal ("tsotsi") whose life changes forever after a bungled mugging leaves him caring for a stranger's baby.
For more information on this version, see also Tsotsi the Musical
Tsotsitaal
An Afrikaans term literally meaning "tsotsi language".
Tsotsitaal as a linguistic phenomenon
A generic term referring to the urban patois or street language developed in the multicultural and polyglottal milieu of the urban (largely black) ghettoes or townships. Used by gangsters or "tsotsis", as well as by younger urban dwellers across the country. Its grammatical base is Afrikaans, its vocabulary a mix of American slang and the variety of South African languages. It is a highly flexible and constantly changing language, with a large number of regional variants.
Other names found for various versions (from other root forms in some cases, but generally with the same insider function), include Flaaitaal or Flytaal, Iscamtho or Isicamtho,
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsitaal_and_Camtho
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Tsotsitaal in theatre, TV and film
Increasingly aspects of this language - in its many variations - may be found as an element in stage texts and other creative writing from the 1970’s onwards.
Among the many theatrical works, TV productions and films, written in or containing tsotsitaal (or approximations thereof), are Sophiatown (1986), Mapantsula (1988), Baby, Come Duze (1990), Suip! (1993), The Suit (1994/2016), . .
Return to
Return to South African Theatre Terminology and Thematic Entries
Return to South_African_Films
Return to South African Theatre Personalities
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays
Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays
Return to PLAYS III: Collections
Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances
Return to South African Festivals and Competitions
Return to South African Radio Plays and Serials
Return to South African Television Plays and Series
Return to ESAT Venues
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
