South African TV drama breaks new ground with Gaz’Lam, a high-quality, new 26-part series. Gaz’Lam, which means ‘blood that binds” or ‘brotherhood”, follows the complex relations of a
20-something group living in the melting pot of Yeoville.
From the über-modern titling to the funky soundtrack and the spot-on script, the show triumphs in walking that delicate balance between education and entertainment.
One of the first of its kind in the country, the show reflects some of society’s key issues, intelligently, effectively and imaginatively. Shunning didacticism and visual ‘show and tell”, it pushes the envelope in dealing with pertinent issues without sugar coating.
The series charts the journey of Sifiso (Siyabonga Shibe) from rural Kwazulu-Natal, where he leaves his true love, Khetiwe (Mbali Ntuli) — who has been promised in marriage to the village chief — and joins his cousin Welile (Sipho Mzobe) in the big city. There Sifiso makes his choices confronted by all the temptations, pitfalls and various lifestyles that Joburg has to offer.
Although recognisable, the characters defy stereotyping — and offer no easy answers. There are no villains to be found, only humans with the capacity for good and evil, light and dark. Superb acting and clever character development allows us to enter the intimate space of the protagonists, and suspend our disbelief, naturally absorbing the educational subtext happening between the lines.
Slick to the hilt, it’s hard to believe that the production experienced a large hiccup when, while filming was still under way, Mzobe was murdered.
Produced by Effect Media as a joint venture between SABC1 and SABC Education, Gaz’Lam is written and directed by award-winning Barry Berk — fresh from the success and controversy of Yizo Yizo.
Comparisons with Yizo Yizo abound, not least because many of the same actors appear, but Berk contends that the two shows are very different. ‘It’s much less flamboyant — we wanted to draw attention to the characters and the tensions between them and to inspire debate as well as draw viewers into the complex relationships.”
If the main goal of the series is to provoke discussion and capture the lives and issues of young people in a contemporary, urban setting, then it more than succeeds.
Featuring an uncontrived narrative that gently unfolds together with inspired editing, it’s a new direction for TV that concentrates on the nuances and subtleties of human relationships.
Every encounter offers the opportunity to engage a new dynamic theme. One of these is femininity — women taking on different roles. Strong women characters abound:
- Khetiwe defies her father’s traditional impositions and decides not to marry the chief. She asserts her identity, choosing uncertainty with the person she loves over financial security without love.
- Thuli (Bubu Mazibuko) goes against traditional notions of being a woman by having a career and being a mother. She also supports her cheating husband Welile.
- Lerato (Thembi Seete) is an ambitious wannabe singer who decides not to sleep her way to getting gigs.
- Foxy’s (Gcina Mkhize) sexpot exterior serves as a disguise for her vulnerability and lack of self-esteem.
All of these characters contend with the trials of being a woman in South Africa today.
Seete says: ‘After Gaz’Lam there’ll be a lot of talking in houses all over the country. It’ll help parents to be open with their kids about love, sex and condoms.”
Central to the storyline are the recurring themes of male and female identities and expectations; sexual negotiations and betrayal; conflict between ‘tradition” and modernity; the maturation of love and the consequences of the choices we make set against a backdrop of South Africa’s HIV/Aids pandemic.
Also reflecting relevant social issues, the soundtrack features top local artists, including Ishmael, Gomorra, Nokhukhanya, Seete, Speedy and Manaka Ranaka. Kicking and experimental, the music is an amalgamation of traditional and contemporary styles from kwaito to R&B — yet more proof that the creators are completely in touch with their target audience.
Never preachy, always gripping, Gaz’Lam has succeeded in creating characters that evoke empathy — ordinary people trying as best they can to make their way through the murky world of love, sex and relationships. Able to compete with any foreign show in a similar genre, the series sets a new benchmark for edutainment in this country.
Gaz’Lam is broadcast on SABC1 every Thursday at 8.30pm