Mama Goema

Mama Goema: The Cape Town Beat in Five Movements (2011) is a multinational documentary film by Ángela Ramirez (Colombia), Sara Gouveia (Portugal) and Calum MacNaughton (South Africa).

“If you take a pinch of Khoi-San lament, a dash of Malay spice, a measure of European orchestral, a splash of Xhosa spiritual, the clash of marching bands, the pizzazz of the Klopse, a driving primal beat and lots of humour and musical virtuosity, what do you get? Goema, Goema, Goema! Weaving together the ancient, the traditional and the classical into the distinctive sound of Cape Town, Mac MacKenzie, musical mastermind and founder of The Genuines and The Goema Captains of Cape Town, puts the final touches on his most recent creation, “Goema Symphony No. 1.” Musicians Hilton Schilder, Ernestine Deane and Kyle Shepherd add context while The Cape Town Goema Orchestra rehearses for its première.”

Mama Goema is availble on DVD with English, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Spanish, French and German subtitles as well as extra features. Leave a comment with your name and email address if you’re interested in obtaining a copy.

Festivals & Awards:

* Encounters International Documentary Film Festival 2011
Runner-Up: Audience Award for Best Local Film (Link)
* Tri Continental Film Festival 2011
Winner: Audience Award for Best Feature Length Documentary (Link)
* Sound on Screen Film Festival 2011
Official Selection (Link)

Mama Goema Press Kit (ZIP, 440K)