‘Roots’ is a must-see

ways, has disempowered me.

Being part of ( Roots) has made me want to find out where I come from.”

The series boasts a large ensemble cast, which includes Laurence Fishburne, Forest Whitaker, Anika Noni Rose, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Anna Paquin.

Local viewers can look out for a number of South Africans, including Nokuthula Ledwaba ( Backstage, Rhythm City) and Nandi Nyembe ( Soul City, Yizo Yizo).

Ledwaba, who plays the role of Binta Kinte, has been promoting the series on social media, tweeting recently that she hoped the Department of Arts and Culture and the Department of Trade and Industry could “screen Roots in halls & community centres for the masses to see”.

In the US, where the series has finished airing, critics have compared it favourably with the 1977 series. “(It is as) relevant now as the original was back in 1977,” wrote Matthew Gilbert in the Boston Globe. “It’s a technically updated and marvellously acted work for the era of ‘Black Lives Matter’”.

James Poniewozik from the New York Times, meanwhile, said the remake “ably polishes the story for a new audience that might find the old production dated and slow”.

If the response from most critics has been positive, the same cannot be said of US rapper Snoop Dogg.

After the miniseries aired in the US, the musician and actor called for a boycott on social media.

“They just want to keep showing the abuse we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago,” he said.

● Between June 13 and July 11, the History channel – which is usually only available to DStv’s Premium subscribers, will be open to DStv Compact subscribers across Africa.

Forest Whitaker as Fiddler.