The Silver Fez (DVD)

The Silver Fez is a feature length documentary set in Cape Town's unique Malay choir culture.

Once upon a time in a city at the end of Africa, two men were possessed by a dream that could come true for only one of them. Kaatji Davids was a house painter with barely two cents to rub together. But he did have an old banjo, some loyal friends and the audacity to imagine he might be the one to topple Hadji Bucks, reigning champion of Cape Malay music.

The prize was the Silver Fez, Holy Grail of Cape Town's Muslim subculture. The campaign involved a cast of thousands and a staggering array of skills, the most sacred of which was the singing of an ancient music that arrived in the Cape on slave ships. Kaatji laboured day and night, driven by dreams of glory and, in the end, by pain. You see Hadji Bucks had limitless resources and he used them to lure Kaatji's best friend into changing sides.

After that, it wasn't just about the music anymore...