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Johannesburg - Actor Mbongeni Ngema has been in the industry probably longer than many of us have been around. So he knows exactly what he likes - and he doesn't like Generations.
The Sarafina creator has been gracing our screens and theatres for decades and has high standards when it comes to making TV. Standards, he says, most of the shows on our TVs don't match up to.
"There are many stories we see on television which are plastic. People need something they can understand and feel. The positive side of it is that actors are being employed, but we should follow the Nigerian route and do it like they do in Nollywood," he told the Sowetan in an interview recently.
He points out that much of what you see in Naija films is exactly how Nigerians live. He says South Africa needs to follow suit and make more real content.
He says that too many shows are imitating Generations "which is not a South African story", he says.
The actor suggests that maybe shows like Generations should adopt themes from his creation Sarafina!
"It's a story of township struggle, of which young people who are struggling and people can still relate to," he points out.
Let's see how "real" Mbongeni is when he takes makes his TV return on e.tv's Gold Diggers next month.
