The first track on Dookoom’s new EP, A Gangster Called Big Times, Larney Jou Poes tells the story of a farm uprising in the Western Cape, an area where tensions have flared regularly between farmers and workers. “Farmer Abrahams had many farms; many farms had farmer Abrahams,” sings Cape Flats underground legend and Die Antwoord collaborator Isaac Mutant, updating the children’s gospel song Father Abraham. “I work one of them, and so do you, so let’s go burn one down.” The music video ends with the band having branded their logo onto the farm.
On Tuesday, minority rights group AfriForum laid a complaint of hate speech against Dookoom with the South African Human Rights Commission, but Isaac says, “We’re not inciting violence. No one gets hurt in the video. But it’s about claiming the land and being angry, because we have a right to be angry.” Larney Jou Poes is an impressive debut from director-to-watch Dane Dodds. “When Isaac sent me a few tracks to choose from, Larney Jou Poes made me feel the most uncomfortable,” says Dane. “As the son of a farmer, I know those feelings are there, so I just wanted to make people talk about them, because they’re often swept under the carpet.”
Watch the music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmgpDostEqk