If you have seen the new movie “District 9”, you were probably able to put the underlying themes together. Apartheid, segregation, and overpopulation are obvious themes in this flick. We clearly see that the the South African director, Neill Blomkamp, is out to show us how destructive segregation is both to those who practice and it’s victims. However, this movie is more than a lesson in morality. It very closely parallels the events that took place during to ’60’s in Cape Town’s District 6. Cape Town is a thriving South African metropolis a few hours south of Johannesburg, where District 9 was filmed. District 6 used to be a lively, bustling community that was home to many black South Africans as well as Jews, Asians, and Indians. The community was not unlike Louisiana’s New Orleans with it’s music, food, homes, churches, mosques, bars, and cohesiveness. The apartheid movement in the 60’s deemed District 6 a “white’s only” area and the communities inhabitants were “bought out” (for much less than the property’s actual value) or forcibly relocated to the townships on the outskirts of the city. Today there are few original structures in District 6 and the rest of the area is nothing more than a sprawling, grassy field in the center on a busy city. The “whites” didn’t even move into the area. It was too tragic. District 9 is not just another sci-fi movie, but an account of an actual tragedy. I’m sure it sold many more tickets under it’s extraterrestrial facade than it would have as a historic narrative though.
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