Did white genocide happen in South Africa? That’s the conclusion that controversial alt-right activist and filmmaker Lauren Southern draws in her new feature-length documentary, Farmland.
The film draws on the country’s complicated history of land ownership and the recent hysteria it has sparked.
South Africa has an alarmingly high crime rate. Dozens of protesters gather in the streets every day, and city buildings and school buildings are often burned. Killings of white ranchers have increased in the region as lawmakers passed a resolution allowing confiscation and redistribution of land without compensation. Crime scene workers, militants in the area and families of the dead described the killings in detail.
The film accused the government and law enforcement of manipulating statistics and concealing the truth behind the massacre. In defense of their approach, the agencies insist there is no evidence the attacks were racially motivated.
Throughout the film, the South challenges the Black Economic Empowerment Act. In one segment, she visits a ghetto inhabited by white families who are destitute and forced to live without basic comforts and medical care. “In South Africa, white people don’t get any help,” explained the camp owner. Southern also pointed to the tens of thousands of white minorities who have fled the country and protests over agricultural issues that the government has neglected.
Southern and her film encountered outspoken opponents who claimed their message was motivated by unabashed racism. Her detractors say her story is a cautionary tale for ending apartheid and a wild warning to Westerners who are fast becoming the new minority. Viewers can decide for themselves whether the events and personal stories depicted in “Farmland” are disturbingly misleading or point to a broader epidemic of racially motivated violence.
Directed by: Lauren Southern
