Jabu Nadia Newman: South Africa's [Foxy] Lady is Not for Turning

Thanks to powerful work that documents the experiences of South African women and seeks to represent those normally under-represented in the media, Cape Town native Jabu Nadia Newman is gradually becoming recognised as a leading feminist voice in the country. When her web series, The Foxy Five, broke onto the scene in 2015, it was picked up by global press outlets and propelled her onto the international stage, resulting in a signing by production company Groundglass. She’s just decided to do a second series of the show instead of returning to university to finish her degree in film, media and politics.

Newman recognises that initiatives such as Free the Bid, which was adopted in South Africa earlier this year, are helping to effect change in terms of equality in the industry. “Because of the internet, [audiences are] smarter,” she says, “so there’s a lot more calling out of adverts that are problematic or don’t represent women well. It’s alarming that there are not more women creating ads, especially those targeting a female audience. Women are still generally perceived as the wife or the girlfriend; the mother or the caretaker,” she observes. “The most controversial way of showing a woman on-air is in the workplace.” 

She’s aware that, as a newcomer, speaking out on gender could be risky, but she’s determined to have her say nonetheless. “There’s space to create work that is politicised and conscientious [and that sells],” says Newman. “It’s important to start bridging that gap and start having conversations with brands to make them aware that their audiences are a lot cleverer and more politicised than they think. Adverts [need to] acknowledge what their audience is dealing with on a political and personal level. Audiences are also analysing ads more and figuring out what they’re trying to say – they want to be respected and challenged.” For Newman, everything relates to politics – it’s political not to comment. She believes brands need to be aware that consumers are demanding change and even seeking out politically-charged ads. 

Her outlook is no surprise: her union-supporting parents encouraged her interest in politics. They also encouraged her to be artistic as a child, but didn’t expect her to make a career out of it. “My parents wanted me to be expressive [artistically] but the main focus was politics,” she says. “The first course I did at university was even chosen by my dad!” She started studying film alongside politics, after ending up as an assistant on a university project that challenged students to make a film in just 48 hours. Despite the lack of sleep, the project made her realise this was what she wanted to do with her life. 

Convincing her parents wasn’t so easy. “My Dad watches The Foxy Five and he loves that it’s political but it’s difficult [for him] to understand what a filmmaker does.” He needn’t worry that his daughter will lose her ideals. “Politics has always been a theme [for me] and always will be,” she says. “It’s important for filmmakers, particularly young ones, to be documenting what people are experiencing now.” As a girlpower-championing series, The Foxy Five resonates with the #metoo generation. The first episode sees the characters speaking out against sexual harassment. 

Provocative perspectives

Newman started writing The Foxy Five as a response to #FeesMustFall, the student-led protest that spread through major South African universities in 2015. She took a year off from university to devote herself to the project and hasn’t looked back since. “I [wanted to] convey these difficult political concepts to people who weren’t studying, so that they could understand. Before, there were a lot of conversations about how apathetic the youth was, but I was keen to show that young people were actually talking about things that maybe even our parents weren’t able to speak about.” In 2016, she released a fashion film, Dirty Laundry, which revealed her flair for surreal comedy and was “a big inspiration for The Foxy Five. By putting out that film, I realised how happy people were to see three black women on screen kicking ass, not related to a man.” The short is about three female friends who seek revenge on a predatory diner owner after the justice system fails them. With its 70s style and Charlie’s Angels aesthetic, it’s similar in style to The Foxy Five, albeit less polished; proof that she’s honing her skills as she goes along.

With a handful of films on her reel, Newman identifies as an emerging director and says her sassy, fashion-forward style originates from her early days photographing friends and attempting to capture their colourful personalities. She continues to experiment creatively with pals and likes to have them on set. 

Most of the actors and production crew on the web series have been female – a rare feat in a male-dominated industry, but something she will continue with: “To authentically tell the [Foxy Five] story we needed to have women’s perspectives for shooting, lighting and editing.” 

Looking forward, Newman has a clear focus – the series has been touring regionally and internationally at various queer and LGBT screenings, so she’s conscious that she should be writing new episodes and planning ahead. She’s assisting on small productions with friends to gain as much experience as she can and is not ruling out returning to her studies in the future. One thing’s for certain, Newman is intent on being provocative and wants her work to open a discourse between the young and the old, directors and their audiences, and brands and their consumers. 

Click here to see Jabu take on the Day in the Life feature.