De Sousa directed a series of three thirty-second commercials for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC's) "Love your South Africa" campaign, which aims to encourage South African citizens to take it to the voting booth for the 2011 municipal elections. The series of advertisements will be screened in the run-up to the elections on SABC and e.tv.
De Sousa used inspirational themes to instil a feeling of pride and belonging amongst South Africans with his reference to relatable, easy recognisable imagery and messaging. The first in the series of adverts depicts an old man referring to 'his park' and his memories of his wife with whom he shared many happy first moments in the park.
The second commercial portrays jazz musician Abdullah Ibrahim's journey on a tour bus, and how the place Mannenberg inspired his song. He goes on to talk about the early, nostalgic days there and how he made his first vote in Mannenberg. "In both these advertisements we aimed to inspire citizens to 'love where they live', and relate to places in an emotional and symbolic manner," tells De Sousa. "The idea is to illustrate that places have a major impact on our lives, and we as South Africans should not take the municipal elections lightly if we value the places where we come from."
The third commercial concludes the campaign by appealing to a younger audience in a more contemporary setting. It shows a young girl's dream to become a famous singer, and the faith her community puts in her to one day achieve her dream. It ends off the campaign in an optimistic, hopeful manner - encouraging young South Africans to vote if they want to make a difference to their future.
"We would like to express our sincere thanks to TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris for the opportunity to have been part of such a brilliant campaign," concludes Warren Meltz, Executive Producer of Blue Panther Films.
The individual "Love your South Africa" commercials can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItfJ6hEEqVI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL - My Park
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4OHHHbxU-0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL - Abdullah Ibrahim's Mannenberg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS-dDChlnqI - Rising Star
