The pain of ‘Roots’ hits close to home
Starring in series an eye opener for Nyembe
Seasoned actress Nandi Nyembe, who stars in the international drama Roots, says the show will open the old wounds of apartheid.
Nyembe acts alongside Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, Anna Paquin, Nokuthula Ledwaba and Mbulelo Grootboom in the show that is screened on e.tv on Monday nights.
The actress, who has been in the game for 45 years, says South Africa never had slaves, but black people experienced similar brutality.
“I feel that Roots is going to remind us of our the pain we went through during apartheid. The story of how slaves were treated is similar to ours.
“I would love the young people to see Roots and understand where we come from and how people were tortured.”
Nyembe says she has realised that South Africans are not free. She believes people are yet to taste the freedom they have been claiming.
The television and stage actress argues that issues such as corruption, land issues, crime and the killing of women proved many people are still opposed.
“We think we got the freedom, but it is still far. Look at what is are happening. Everything is just a mess.
“During apartheid, we used to do protest theatre and take them [productions] overseas to tell the world how we lived in South Africa. That is how we fought our apartheid. But we are now scared to do protest theatre about what is happening currently.”
Nyembe says from a distance the country is portrayed as if everything is OK.
“When we got freedom we were not ready for it. No one educated us about it.”
Roots, which was filmed in areas like Mtunzini and Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as Cape Town, is a story that chronicles the story of Kunta Kinte a west African man kidnapped and sold into slavery in America, and his descendants.
His journey intensifies as it unfolds, introducing viewers to the lives of the enslaved and showing the brutality, abuse and sexual violence they endured over generations.
Nyembe plays Kinte’s grandmother, while Ledwaba portrays the role of his mother.
Nyembe says working with international stars like Whitaker was amazing.
“What I like about them is that they do not behave like big stars. It was wonderful, we were treated with royalty; they did not behave like stars.” Catch Roots on e.tv on Mondays
● at 8.30pm