• Tweet

LOCAL CONTENT: A scene from the ever-popular soapie Muvhango

Generations, Muvhango, Scandal, Rhythm City and other local operas all spin cultural and other social phenomena for the entertainment of the public.

But what about essential and relevant material for public education?

Sowetan solicited comments from industry experts to find out if viewers receive content that conforms to their cultural beliefs and daily lives.

Writer, producer and filmmaker Busisiwe Ntintili, who has written for Isidingo and Generations, says soap operas were invented for fantasy, entertaining and portraying the lives of wealthy communities. The concept was based on "romance and rivalry".

"It was only at a later stage that the target was extended to other communities, including the middle class, and we see today that the poor are also watching these soapies," Ntintili says.

He says viewers in the US and European countries are already shying away from watching soapies because they "do not add any value" to their lives. As for the majority of black South Africans, "we are still limited to the SABC channels and e.tv".

But what has been done to accommodate the middle class and the poor?

In 2009, former Generations actor Sello Maake ka Ncube, who plays the scheming Daniel Nyathi on e.tv's Scandal, took over from industry novice Zamambo Tshabalala, who went on strike for 30 days. His concern was the lack of local content and how culture is portrayed, "or the lack of it".

While Ncube expressed his disappointment at having been "part of a system that was killing the art", Tshabalala was concerned that if the SABC, the only channel accessible to the black majority, was "cabling content from overseas, when was her creativity to be shared with her people"?

Muvhango's head of research Carol Shore admits her team cannot claim to "always get it right".

"When we tell a story, we pick a cultural aspect and bring more drama into it. We once took the idea of cremation as opposed to funerals. That concept did not sit well with the vhaVhenda people. We learn from our mistakes."

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Tue Jun 18 07:07:23 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 21, 2012

Blackthought

People are brainwashed by all the garbarge on our screens.
Report Abuse

Jun 21, 2012

Morphius

Soapies follow a certain formula and we need to accept that its about fantansy and never meant to tackle social issues (hence someone can die 10 times and still come back and marry their sister)
These artists must prduce tv shows that tackle these isseues (doccies, dramas etc) and they can never be called soapies. For example Zone 14 tackles various issues and does not classify itself as a soapy...

Report Abuse

Jun 21, 2012

Real-Mogwanthi

I've lost interest a long time ago on all SABC channels and worse i dont watch thier soapies and if it was possible i would block them 4rom my DSTV
Report Abuse

Jun 21, 2012

1andonlybucs

@ sowetan this picture looks like a cartoon....
Report Abuse

Jun 22, 2012

MyPot

Real-Mogwanthi
I've lost interest a long time ago on all SABC channels and worse i dont watch thier soapies and if it was possible i would block them 4rom my DSTV
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
xame......how poor is your brans, how can u learn from somthing that u cant even afford, and you sound so poor in terms of food
Report Abuse

Read all 5 comments