The impact of #MeToo in the South African film and television industry, within a historical framework

Abstract

The study is a history project and is concerned with tracking the impact of #MeToo in the South African Film and Television industry in South Africa. Its main premise were the findings made public by a South African organization, Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT) in 2017, that found that sexual harassment in the television and film industry was not just a norm but a crisis. The core focus of the study was on the development and impact of the #MeToo movement, which entailed investigating the manner in which women reacted to the hashtag (#MeToo), the reaction of their male counterparts, as well as the reaction and actions taken by the various bodies, institutions and organisations in the Film and Television industry, which included; broadcasters and production houses alike. This study begins by giving a concise background of the movement by firstly, historicising various female-led movements and comparing and contrasting them with the rise of digital movements or digital activism. The historicisation involves a brief comparison of past and present women-led activism, as well as a brief review of other hashtags like #AmINext and #Enough, on which #MeToo has had an influence. It goes on to investigate the development of #MeToo movement and to discuss the responses of the industry and individuals to the movement. The study embarked on a data collection quest by interviewing eleven female television and film practitioners in South Africa. Their ages ranged from 20 to 55. The findings of the research revealed that female practitioners were still being harassed post #MeToo, although subtly. The lack of unity amongst women in the sector was cited as one of the reasons behind the ongoing harassment. Gender parity and equity was also still lacking in the South African television and film industry. This study emerged in the midst of activism and scholarship seeking to unravel the norms of South African sexual harassment and rape culture against women. Thus, the study focused on the changes and transformations brought about by the hashtag within the industry. With South Africa’s historical background and the current circumstances around Gender Based Violence (GBV), this study was concerned with tracking whether or not digital activism had in some way been able to aid change and transformation. In particular, this study looked at the impact of the MeToo phenomenon on the women in the industry, the extent to which it empowered them, what they began to say and how they began to act. The study also explored South Africa’s ‘rape culture’ as South Africa has been proclaimed the ‘worlds rape capital’. It reflected on the colonial rule as the perpetuation of patriarchy and male entitlement over female bodies. Patriarchy in the industry was also confirmed by the findings and through data analysis, as one of the key factors in the emergence of #MeToo in South Africa, and in the utilisation of the hashtag by women in the sector to speak up against sexual harassment.