Sida Tsoatsoas - Our Beginnings

Premiering on December 6, 2021, Sida Tsoatsoas – Our Beginning was the first African-produced digital planetarium film to showcase Indigenous African Starlore. Created in collaboration with the ǂKhomani San community of the Northern Cape, the film brings to life ancient storytelling traditions through a blend of live-action and animation.

Supported by the National Arts Council – Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme, the African Astronomical Society, the African Planetarium Association, the South African Astronomical Observatory, and the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network, the film is a 13-minute experience accessible to all ages, available in Afrikaans and Nama with English subtitles.

Set against the red dunes and vast saltpans of the Kalahari, the film transports audiences into the world of the ǂKhomani people, sharing their rich oral traditions. The narrative explores how the Sun gave the Jackal his ash-burnt markings, offering a valuable lesson on human connection and our relationship with the cosmos.

Following its public debut at the Iziko Planetarium and Digital Dome, Sida Tsoatsoas was distributed free of charge to a global network of over 4,000 planetariums. It also received international recognition, winning a Gold Award at the 2022 International Tourism Film Festival Africa.

The film has been showcased at various international film festivals, including:

Dome Under Film Festival (2023, Australia)
Dome Fest West (2024, USA)

Through Sida Tsoatsoas, audiences are invited to reflect on the global sense of Ubuntu, highlighting the importance of preserving Indigenous knowledge and storytelling traditions.