Thirteen episodes of a new educational youth television show will make its debut on SABC1 on Tuesdays at 18h30 from 6 February. The show “Ziyawa La’ will articulate the wave of cultural expressions being embraced by the South African youth.
Mpho Moagi, youth editor at SABC Education says: “A new wave of cultural expressions is being embraced by South African Youth, a movement creating and shaping an African spirit. “Ziyawa La’ reflects a national shift from chasing ‘the American dream’ to embracing the motherland. New age Africans are taking their rich cultural heritage of music, poetry, afro-chic, clothes, food, living space and language and defining themselves.’
“Ziyawa La’ is a studio based magazine show that celebrates this attitude. The show dares viewers to be proud of their roots and entices them with South African cultures and from that, African pride is inevitable. The show includes people from all walks of life, representing the cultures of the rainbow nation as a whole.
Says presenter Tsoana Nhlapo: “The show represents guys like me; we are all about redefining our artistic endeavours. “Ziyawa La’ creates a space to express art and to foster the spirit of the African renaissance. We are all encouraged to speak our mother tongue. My goal is to learn and master all South African languages and then host all nationalities in one show.’
“Ziyawa La’, produced for SABC Education by Touch Down Africa will include live performances by prominent and emerging artist, interviews with African artists who have found success in embracing their heritage, entertaining inserts about movements in different forms of cultural expressions and last, but not least, a book club where an audience member will be invited in studio to talk about the last book they read. “Ziyawa La” is predominantly Nguni and Sotho and incorporates English through interviews.
