Article By Thandokazi Prusent
“Mutsonga o ka a nga tsongoli xa munhu”– All we have is proudly ours.
Conservative and proud, the Tsonga community is known for keeping to themselves. They are popularly known for their significant Xibelani dance and fast-paced music. The release of Black Panther, the first superhero of African descent in mainstream American comics, emphasized the important role representation plays in increasing the recognition of a community and in highlighting the good it has to offer… Its treasures so to speak. We live in a society riddled with stereotypes, some good and some bad. Film and TV open the platform to eradicate and correct these stereotypes. There’s no question about the joy of the 2.1 million XiTsonga speakers when they see this new series that will resonate with their everyday culture.
‘Giyani- The Land of The Blood’, set to air on the 1st of April 2019 at 21:30pm on SABC 2, will be the first-ever XiTsonga drama series on screen. Penned by the team behind 1MagicTV’s ‘The River’: Phathu Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon from Tshedza Pictures. Giyani is sure to pave the way to shine the spotlight on fresh new talent. The new series will star a few familiar faces in the South African TV and music industry. Well-known and much-loved songstress Yvonne Chaka Chaka will star in this new series and joining her will be Muvhango’s Ndivhuwo Mutsila, Charles Baloyi (The River), Obed Baloyi who played the popular Tsutsuma on Ga Re Dumele and Candy “Tsa Mandebele” Mokwena -who is the perfect example of staying true to oneself.
We can already imagine the vibrant and bright colours that will grace our screens when this new series airs. Catch Giyani- Land of The Blood on Monday the 1st of April on SABC 2!
