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rfmcdonaldAt Science Not Fiction, Malcolm MacIver makes the point that the vicious anti-alien discrimination directed towards the Prawns in the hit film District 9 is actually based on the realities of apartheid.
MacIver also makes an interesting point, wondering if science fiction is a literary genre that can either thrive only in wealthy countries or, a more robust plant, if it can function in any society with even some access to high technology.
Where "South Africa" is written "world" might also be profitably read, since, in this as in other ways, complex South Africa is the world in microcosm.
Eventually the authorities send an expedition up to find out what’s going on and discover a bunch of starving aliens. They are settled in a South African township called District 9, directly below the mother ship (a squatter camp in the township of Soweto, called Chiawelo, was used for the shooting). Besides being confined to the township, they suffer various other kinds of oppression very reminiscent of the ways blacks were treated during the time of apartheid. Interestingly, in this case, South Africans of all colors are united in their hatred and mistreatment of the aliens, derogatively called “Prawns” (not least because they look like supersized bipedal version of king prawns, a delicious crustacean that is often on the menu at nicer restaurants in South Africa).
In the events of the real District 6 in Cape Town, a thriving community of 60,000 people of various races were forcibly relocated over the course of two decades, starting in the late 1960s. The entire district was then bulldozed for subsequent redevelopment that is stalled to this day. The relocation sparked large protests and great bitterness. The District 6 Museum goes through this history as a reminder of a key historical event during the painful times of apartheid.
MacIver also makes an interesting point, wondering if science fiction is a literary genre that can either thrive only in wealthy countries or, a more robust plant, if it can function in any society with even some access to high technology.
The rarity of science fiction has led me to wonder whether sci-fi is a privileged genre that can only thrive in wealthy countries. Or is it more basic than that? Most people here lack access—or even exposure—to technology, particularly in rural areas. Indeed, they often struggle to rise above the level of subsistence (many of the residents Chiawelo, where District 9 was filmed, were too poor to get transportation and a ticket to see the film). And yet I’m writing this in one of the more remote parts of the country, a small village near Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape, via an Internet connection through their excellent cellular phone network. The gap between rich and poor in this part of Africa is larger than nearly anywhere else. There is a good technical infrastructure, but outside of the cell network, it is mostly confined to the wealthier areas of the country. The “digital divide” that people in developed countries worry about is therefore significantly worse here. Crossing it may also be part of the solution, of course, and perhaps then sci-fi can become a playground for South Africans to explore their fears and hopes regarding emerging technology as it is elsewhere.
Where "South Africa" is written "world" might also be profitably read, since, in this as in other ways, complex South Africa is the world in microcosm.
