While the latest move might come as a surprise, Nigeria is no stranger to film biz — the West African nation is home to the budding Nollywood film scene, an industry that churns out up to 200 films a month. That’s bigger than Hollywood and second only to India’s Bollywood. 

To get the full scoop on ‘District 9′, check out our Film+Travel guide to Soweto, the Johannesburg neighhorhood where the film takes place. Even more information about South Africa in film is available in our Film+Travel guide to Asia, Oceania, Africa.

For a lighter take on the controversy, see what the “experts”have to say about the ban over at The Onion.

In Blomkamp’s sci-fi fantasy documentary, an alien race has found its way to earth — South Africa, specifically. Once there, they’re forced into a concentration camp-like slum called District 9. More than just an alien adventure, the film is an allegory for South Africa’s difficult past under apartheid. In fact, the film’s title references the segregated, white-only District 6 in Cape Town. For the film, District 9 is played by Soweto, a real-life neighborhood in Johannesburg.

Orlando, Soweto

An acronym for South Western Townships, Soweto is a collection of townships (or neighborhoods) known for its four-roomed matchstick houses and its painful history of apartheid, as many blacks were forcibly relocated to the area under segregation, and the triumphant struggle to overcome oppression. 

A good place to start a trip to Soweto is with a visit to the township of Orlando and the first home of legendary anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. You won’t be able to go inside, but Mandela’s matchbook-style house is clearly visible from street. Soweto is actually the only area to have raised two Nobel Peace Prize Winners, Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and both had homes on affluent Orlando West’s Vilakazi Street. Today, Mandela House (number 8115, at the corner of Ngakane and Vilakazi streets) is a museum dedicated to the legacy of South Africa’s first democratically elected president, one that still bears the pockmarks from Molotov cocktails and bullet holes from its past.

Hector Pieterson Memorial

Just a few blocks away from Mandela House is the Hector Pieterson Museum (8288 Maseko Street). The museum is named after a 12-year-old boy who died during the events of June 16, 1976, when police opened fire on a group of 10,000 student protestors, the event that led to the Soweto Uprising. There you’ll find a vivid history of the struggle to end apartheid.

Throughout Soweto, you will find many landmarks to apartheid and the fight to end it, including Regina Mundi church, the spiritual center of Soweto, and Kliptown’s Walter Sisulu Square, formerly known as Freedom Square.

While the history of apartheid is an important part of Soweto, there is much more to see and do in this urban community. Catch a train at Naledi Station, for a lively and musical ride you’re sure to remember. Soweto also has a strong culinary tradition which is celebrated at the many restaurants throughout the area, as well as at the first Soweto Food Festival, Oct. 1-4, where you can sample traditional eKasi favorites.

Visiting Soweto is safe, but it is best to go with a local guide for the best taste of the area’s past, and present. For more information on visiting Soweto contact the South African Tourism Services Association.

images: District Nine poster TriStar Pictures; Orlando and Hector Pieterson Memorial photos via iStock

Southern Africa produces more internationally recognized films by African directors than its neighbors in the east and north, and among these films conflict is a recurring theme. From the slums of Soweto to the Kalahari Desert, Lee Middleton is your guide to Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, and South Africa.

About Your Guide: Lee Middleton has traveled and worked in 34 countries across five continents. She currently resides in Africa.

photo: iStock