Who can forget the scene in the first episode, when Papa Action forces Bobo to put his head into the toilet bowl while Shakes flushes the excrement all over his face? But with this new voice came a new cinematic language too that was gritty, dark and traditionally reserved for music videos.Īnd in this world, seasoned actors like Patrick Ndlovu, as Principal Mthembu, came face to face with a new generation of stars like Ronnie Nyakale, whose Papa Action character has become the quintessential on-screen gangster. The language of kwaito music lived and breathed in the land of forgotten youth.
Yizo Yizo had a fluidity and language all of its own. And it set the bar high for drama series that would follow. At a time when social media didn’t exist, Yizo Yizo got South Africans talking about hard truths. And it forced politicians to debate the edutainment value of a series that depicted a brutal prison rape scene and other gory scenes of violence, in a primetime television slot. The series was a no-holds barred look at violence, bullying, drug abuse, corruption and other matters of serious public discourse at schools in the country. Yizo Yizo.īack in 1999, writer-directors Teboho Mahlatsi and Angus Gibson challenged all conventions reserved for South African drama series by creating a highly visceral teen drama set in a fictional high school in Daveyton South Africa.
These titles are all currently available on Showmax and they make for great viewing, but so as not to be too self-serving, I have selected another series which I believe is one the best, of all time, on the African continent. To define just one series that sits at the top of the list is impossible, so it's a bit of a cheat, but I would choose Shaka Zulu as my all-time favourite classic series, Jacob’s Cross for its reach and MTV Shuga for the socially powerful stories that were created throughout the seasons. I have a long line up of favourite African series - those told by Africans, those filmed in Africa and those stories that are about Africans that the whole world can love and share.
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