The Fynbos Mengsels (Fynbos Mixtures) is a local collective of traditional knowledge holders in the Cederberg, born out of the Co-Creating Wild Foods Livelihoods Project . Since 2017, this passionate group, along with Tracy du Plessis, has gathered to revive and share their rich knowledge of plants. Together, they blend Western and indigenous wisdom, focusing on edible plants, food culture, and the preservation of this valuable knowledge.

I first met the group in 2021 during a field trip with the Co-Create team to discuss a local research ethics code. It was during this workshop that the idea for my Master’s project was born. My Master’s project focused on documenting the local breadmaking culture and its evolution over time. An important outcome of this research was the co-development of a community-owned breadmaking booklet and the continued development of a local breadmaking business that is still operating today. The community deeply values their breadmaking culture, seeing it as more than just a source of physical nourishment. For the people from the Agter Pakhuis, a community born and raised in the Cederberg Mountains, breadmaking is a vital tradition that has been part of their daily lives over many generations. With deep ties to the land, water, plants, and animals, the communities’ ancestors include the hunter-gatherer San, Khoi, Nama, and Griqua pastoralists, as well as settlers of European descent and enslaved people brought to the Cape from Asia and Africa. The community highlights that “bread is life”, symbolising a profound connection to their ancestors and the land. The knowledge and techniques of breadmaking have been transmitted and adapted over many generations. Breadmaking reflects a rich cultural mosaic of diverse influences and mixed heritage in the Cederberg region. While collaborating with the Agter Pakhuis community, people often expressed a need and desire to document and preserve this rich cultural heritage for future generations and visitors. With gratitude for funding received from the NGO People and Plants International, we have now created a documentary about the Cederberg breadmaking culture.

The process
An important aspect of the process was to ensure that the film was a creation by the community. We wanted everyone to feel a sense of ownership and agency – that it was their film, not a film about them.

On the first day, we gathered to brainstorm and discuss the content of the film. It was a great session where everyone had the opportunity to share their ideas. People were fully engaged in the process, and we decided to make traditional ertjie (green pea) soup with bread, using firewood that was locally collected, and knowledge of local ovens. We made the starter culture with skaappensie (sheep’s stomach), a treasured but fading tradition. Stories of how wheat and rye were grown and ground by the ancestors also made their way into the script.

Day 1, together we decided what we wanted to document and assigned responsibilities.

The collaboration didn’t stop there. We worked together to decide who would play each role in the film, ensuring that everyone felt included. To acknowledge people’s contributions, we compensated the participants for their time and efforts. From the start, everyone was very involved and passionate about the film project.

We began filming with two interviews on the first day. Elders Jerome and Ankie shared their stories about rye cultivation and the vital role played by of donkey mills in local culture. These stories should not be forgotten; they need to be passed on to future generations who now obtain their bread-making ingredients pre-packaged from supermarkets.

On the second day, we collected firewood and natural clay with Ankie, who was celebrating his birthday that day. We visited and filmed the ovens and prepared the starter culture with potatoes and skaappensie.

Collecting firewood with elder Ankie.

Day three was dedicated to preparing the bread. The filming process reminded us of the time and care needed to make fresh sourdough bread. Preparing the dough, waiting for it to rise, placing it in baking forms, lighting the fire in the oven, and finally baking the bread — all required care, patience and dedication. These intervals provided wonderful opportunities to sit together, share stories, and bond. Elders shared their knowledge about rysmiere (termites), veld tee (wild harvested rooibos tea), rye, and veldkos (wild edible plants and animals), enriching our understanding of their cultural heritage. At the end of the day we met Marcelino who explained how to build and fix outdoor ovens.

When the bread was finally ready, we enjoyed it with a bowl of delicious ertjie soup. Each bite was a tribute to the hard work and love that went into making this bread. Although we captured the process on film, some elements simply cannot be conveyed through a camera—the smell of freshly baked bread, the comforting taste of ‘home’, and the cozy feeling of sitting around a fire after days of working together to co-create this film.

This project was not only about producing a film; it was about providing a platform for the community to share their stories and traditions. It was a celebration of shared heritage and the profound experience of crafting something together that binds the community over many generations. Although this film project was conceived as a post-research activity, it highlighted the importance of visual, arts-based methods for capturing sensory knowledge (Keller & Ainsworth, 2008; Pink, 2007). By adopting a participatory approach to filmmaking, we can foster collaboration in generating knowledge, which can be empowering for participants. This approach allows marginalised groups to articulate their own experiences and perspectives (Milne et al., 2012; Samuel, 2002).

Elder Siena proudly showing us her outdoor oven.

Our next step was to share the edited film with the community to hear and incorporate their thoughts and suggestions. The screening took place at the home of Elzaan, one of the film’s participants where we watched the film on a television. The atmosphere was full of excitement, and the community was happy with the way in which their stories were portrayed and the accuracy for the information shared. They suggested a few changes, which we incorporated accordingly. The final version of the documentary was screened at the Clanwilliam museum during the Clanwilliam Flower Show. This event, usually led by local elites, would be a fantastic way to highlight and celebrate the communities’ cultural heritage.

Enjoying a bowl of hearty ertjie soup with freshly baked bread after a long day of filming.

Many thanks to the Fynbos Mengsels members for their great contributions to this film!

Watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7iMwGuDj-k

References

Keller, C., & Ainsworth, B. (2008). Using visual methods to uncover context. Qualitative Health Research, 18(3), 428–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732307313615
Milne, E.-J., Mitchell, C., & De Lange, N. (2012). Handbook of participatory video. AltaMira Press.
Pink, S. (2007). Doing Visual Ethnography (Second). London, UK: SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857025029
Samuel, J. (2002). What is people-centered advocacy? PLA Notes, 43, 9–12.