ETV: Rhythm City Ep 2992 – 25/12/2018

Name of monitor: Mauwane Raophala

Name of Television station: Etv

Name of programme: Rhythm City

Date of broadcast: Episode 2992, 25 December 2018

Time: 19h00 – 19h30

Genre: Drama series

Theme: GBV / Domestic Violence

GBV focus explicit or implicit? Implicit

Gem Classification: Gender Blind

Provide a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHTDbSK3BpI&t=106s

If no link provide the artefact upload on dropbox

Brief description of scene:

In this episode Bra Kop and his family sit down for a Christmas braai. The men light the fire and the women bring the rest of the meal to the table, already showing subtle stereotypes at play. Gadifele shows up to the lunch to apologise to Bra Kop. He is angry and bitter towards Gadifele who just got medical parole for killing his wife and attacks her both verbally and physically calling her a “witch” and attempting to hit her. Gadifele is determined to apologise and make peace with Bra Kop because her days are numbered due to her brain tumour but she is ushered out. Ma Blossom attempts to calm everyone down but Bra Kop dismisses her and leaves the table.

Why it has been given this GEM classification:

Bra Kop’s reaction towards his late wife’s killer is understandable as he personally believes her sentencing was unjust in comparison to his loss. Also, his grieving time should be considered, as it differs from person to person. He does, however, react violently towards Gadifele, a dying woman who is attempting to resolve things reasonably through talking. Although Gadifele has been portrayed as a morally questionable character in the past, no woman deserves to be attacked because of a man’s grief. His family attempts to stop him but show no outrage or contempt for his treatment of both Gadifele and Ma Blossom. Grieving is a difficult process and men are often taught to internalise their grief for fear of showing emotion as they are expected to be strong. Bra Kop’s violent reaction is condoned by his family and although they try to stop him this reaction is normalised as it is not addressed.

Focus:

GBV is not a focus of the video but Bra Kop’s violent reaction towards Gadifele and the fact that it is not addressed is important.

People in the programming.

In this scene, both women and men speak everyone is given a chance to speak in context to what is happening in the scene. We continue to see how men and women are used differently because Ma Blossom is portrayed as a submissive and caring woman towards her husband and condones his aggressive behavior, whereas Bra Kop is angry, bitter and violent.

Language.

There are no blatant stereotypes or sexist language in the scene. However, Bra Kop’s language towards Gadifele is not addressed and therefore implicitly condoned by the programming.

Angles and perspective:

Both women and men’s voices and viewpoints are heard in this scene because the scene involves both parties. However, the men’s viewpoint predominates in the scene. The scene is based on him and losing his loved one, hence the scene is about his emotion and reaction towards the perpetrator. Some may see his violent reaction as justified as men’s violent reactions in the face of grief are often seen as normal. However this is often because men are not taught to grieve properly as they are taught to be strong. Men are rarely portrayed as crying in the face of grief. Their reactions are more often aggressive.

Intersectionality:

The Issues of gender identity and its intersection with other social factors such as race, age, ethnicity was well represented. The pastor intervened in the situation trying to convince Bra Kop to forgive his wife’s murderer. The fact that another younger man chose a more peaceful approach is to be commended, however the man still does not encourage Bra Kop to deal appropriately with his grief and not let it manifest in aggression.

Conclusion:

The scene is therefore classified as gender blind as it missed an opportunity to show men how to deal with grief appropriately. It should be noted that soap operas often exaggerate responses for dramatic effect as this is how the genre is constructed. However in South Africa it is particularly important to address hegemonic masculinity and how this perpetuates the idea that men should not cry but a violent response is acceptable. The characters around Bra Kop in this scene should have voiced that a violent reaction towards a dying woman is simply unacceptable and that there are more appropriate ways to deal with grief such as seeking help in therapy (if it is available and accessible).

Social Media Commentary: 

Male Perspective: 

“Now it is Bra Kop’s turn to be unreasonable. How could he married to Blossom and do stuff like this, giving the impression that he is so attached to Mamokete that Ma Blossom is just a decoration in his home?”