A six piece mini-series has been produced in America to commemorate the life of Nelson Mandela and the South African history. The series was first premiered in America and was well received. The show was nominated for five awards at the Black Reel Awards 2017.
The series has finally come to South Africa and we cannot wait to see how the audience receives it. It aired on Discovery Channel from Monday 6 November.
The series stars International acts such as Laurence Fishburne who plays Madiba and David Harewood who plays Walter Sisulu. The series also features much South African talent such as Terry Pheto who plays the role of Winnie Mandela, Sello Maake ka-Ncube playing Chief Albert Luthuli and Hlomla Dandala portraying Thabo Mbeki’s father Govan Mbeki.
Hlomla Dandala says a lot goes into preparing for a character. “You can’t capture the life of a person especially one that lived an incredible life and try to reduce them. The best thing you can do is capture their soul and their spirit. What is he about? What can I do to honour that?” he says.
Kate Liquorish who plays Ruth First says she discovered so much when she was preparing for the role. “I had no idea the treason trial was dragged for five years. I also didn’t know what little time Ruth actually got to spend in South Africa after she was released in solitary confinement. She died and was buried outside her country” says Kate.
