Paul Modjadji has been invited to screen his film “The Deal” and to present a lecture on the legacies of trauma carried in our bodies.
Staring a slew of some of South Africa’s renowned actors, the likes of Dr. Jerry Mofokeng, Abigail Kubeka, Aubrey Poo, and Matli Mahepeloa. The Deal is a film about the nuances of gender-based violence and its impact on one’s mental health.
Written and directed by Paul Modjadji, South African award-winning creative and activist, The Deal is also the first film in South Africa to feature a dementia-diagnosed character and present a snapshot inside her life and that of her family and caregivers. Embodied by veteran actress, Abigail Kubeka, this is the first time the legendary actress is playing a character living with dementia.
The NFVF funded film follows the life of an 18-year-old South African girl, Thandeka, played by poet and actress Botlhale Boikanyo, delves into the thematic area of transgenerational transactional relationships otherwise widely labeled blesser and blessee relations in South Africa, and the toll often carried by young girls in pursuit of the attainment of higher education.
“The fact that International Women’s Month and the brain awareness week coincide is a good opportunity to talk about the inherited and currently manifested trauma endured by girls and women in South Africa, and the effects this long-term trauma has on the psyche and general well-being of our communities. As a South African, the issue of gender-based violence and brain health are not separate issues, nor are they issues I have the privilege of not calling my issue. They are all our issues. If one of us is traumatized, we are all traumatized. I hope that my lecture and my film invite exploration into the nuances and complexities of trauma and the many ways it can manifest in disempowering ways.”
The Creative brain week programme runs from the 12 to the 16th of March at the Science Institute gallery, Trinity College, in Dublin Ireland.