Directed by Luc Vrydaghs • Documentary • 2017 • 26 minutes

We meet 6 populations in transition via the microcosm of the local barber shop.

PRETORIA WEST / SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa has known a turbulent history of occupation, discrimination and violence against the black population. With the ANC in power and today in the post-Mandela era, the roles are reversed. We see a true ‘Black Economic Empowerment’, in which the black people are favoured in terms of housing and employment. The white middle class is slowly slipping away into poverty, resulting in violence, excessive drugs and alcohol abuse.

Barber Shop South Africa brings the story of this impoverished white middle class who decides to insulate itself from the outside world and settles in strict religious communities on the countryside.

Adri (36) is the white female hairdresser of Filadelfia Ark, a community West of Pretoria. She cuts hair on a chair outside her bungalow. Her customers appreciate her gentle approach and visit her for an enjoyable talk. Filadelfia Ark has almost paradise like surroundings, with lakes, animals and an outdoor dining-place, but the community radiates a story of fear, exclusion, poverty and religion.