Tune into africa
I REMEMBER the very first time I was introduced to a TV show that was quintessentially African. I was in my early teens when mother brought home Mr Ibu and Mo. Shot and produced in Nigeria, the show was about a single father and his very naughty son and their antics. I never knew what Nigerians sounded like until that point so with every episode I watched, I learnt something new.
That is what the African television and film industry has done over the years. It has shown Kenyans how South Africans live, introduced Namibians to pidgin English and more importantly, it’s shown us how similar we all are.
What’s more exciting is that you do not need to be in Tanzania to watch a Tanzanian show, you just need the internet. In celebration of Africa Day, here is a list of African shows you should be watching.
Sue na Jonnie
This Kenyan production is a dramatic comedy series in which Catherine Kamau plays Sue, a street-smart character who will do
LIAM KARABO JOYCE
anything to get her daughter back even if it means becoming a girlfriend for hire. Sue finds herself in a case of mistaken identity when she is hired by Martin Githinji’s Jonnie to play his girlfriend after he lands a lucrative job meant for somebody else with the same name.
Varshita
Popular among Kenyans, Varshita is a fun romantic comedy series that stars Eve D’sousa and Maqbul Mohammed as a young couple from completely different backgrounds. Varshita follows the lives of Varshita, a Kenyan Indian, and her partner Donovan, a black Kenyan. In an interview with the Nairobian last year, D’sousa was asked about the show’s interracial relationship theme. She said, “I think it’s timely. Navigating the differences that come with mixed relationships can be uncomfortable for the viewer, but it’s necessary if we are ever going to progress in challenging racism and understanding that we are a lot more similar than we are
different.”
The Herd
The Herd is a South African supernatural drama series which follows Bheki, a man who needed help many years ago and made a deal with a witchdoctor that came at a great cost to his present. Twentyeight years ago, Bhekisizwe Mthethwa who is played by Sello Maake Ka-ncube was fired from his job at a butchery after sustaining a leg injury. With no job, a hungry wife and a baby, Bheki sought out the guidance of the local witchdoctor Ma’mngadi, played by Winnie Ntshaba, who promised him a bright future if he was willing to make a great sacrifice. The series explores the extent to which people will go to obtain their heart’s desires, with the premise that love, power and the pursuit of wealth can drive a man to sacrifice his soul. It also stars Zethu Dlomo and Sihle Ndaba and is now in its second season.