Perhaps after The Gods Must Be Crazy and Shaka Zulu, no other South African storyline has captivated African audiences like Queen Modjadji.
In fact, many have ranked it right behind Shaka Zulu and as one of Africa’s best productions in recent times – a benchmark for African producers to tell African stories in the ‘most African’ way without disregarding quality or the African heritage and culture. Right from the props and elements, characters, storyline, lighting, camera shots and angles, sound, editing, etc, Queen Modjadji ticks all the boxes of what a quality production should be like.
You appreciate the film series even more as the film is entirely acted in Khelobedu, a calm native language that reportedly has never been written before. Renowned producer and writer, Duma Ndlovu, who is soon hitting 70 years, is behind this groundbreaking DStv series
which he says he first wrote more than 30 years ago before shelving it after he got frustrated by South African broadcasters.
Imagine their regrets after seeing its success on screen now! Talking exclusively to The Observer from South Africa, Ndlovu delved into why the series has become such a screen sensation.
ORIGINS OF QUEEN MODJADJI
For Ndlovu, the journey of the Queen Modjadji began in the early 90s when he first stumbled upon an intriguing history of the Modjadji dynasty during his research work. He says, he got more interested in the story after learning that the Balobedu natives who resettled in Limpopo province of South Africa some 200 years ago, were immigrants from present-day Zimbabwe.
But even more intriguing for him, was the fact that their king, Mambo Mugodo who presided over the longest drought period, on the quest and advice of his ancestors, had to sleep with his own daughter so as to sire a rainmaker queen, Modjadji, who took over her father’s reins.
Descendants of Modjadji swear that her birth indeed brought the rains and subsequent bumper harvests. Ndlovu says coming from the Zulu community where incest is strongly abhorred, yet, here, the Balobedu ancestors were culturally sanctioning it, he became even more interested in their story and wanted to bring it to the screens for the audience.
“About four years ago when Showmax MultiChoice decided to do the Shaka- Ilembe story, they started saying that they want to tell African stories. Then I became interested in pushing the story [again]. I approached them about two years ago with this concept and they loved it and this is how we are where we are,” he said.
PAN-AFRICAN SUCCESS
Even before airing the first episode, the Queen Modjadji series attracted unwanted media attention in South Africa for the wrong reasons, which might have become a blessing in disguise. The producers of the series had been sued by a section of the Modjadji family who questioned the authenticity of the storyline, claiming they were neither consulted nor compensated.
They wanted court to ban the series altogether, but the producers argued that this is a storyline which has been in the public domain and happened over 200 years ago. In any case, Ndlovu says they were in contact with the “rightful” Modjadji family.
“The people that took us to court are not the Modjadji family. They call themselves the Modjadji family but they took the young lady who was supposed to be the future queen and raised her outside the family,” he said.
DRAMA IN FILM, DRAMA IN REAL LIFE
To the relief of the producers, court ruled in their favour and the series premiered in July, taking African screens by storm. Ndlovu says two weeks ago, they even celebrated the success of the film with the “actual” Modjadji family and have been given a green light for the continuation of the series into season two.
That earlier uncalled-for media attention probably contributed to the success of the film in South Africa but what has fascinated the other
African audiences?
The show is broadcast on Sunday at almost the same time in Nigeria on Africa Magic Showcase, on Akwaaba Magic in Ghana, Maisha Magic Plus in Kenya, Pearl Magic Prime in Uganda, Zambezi Magic in Zambia and Mzansi Magic in South Africa.
Ndlovu says though pleasantly surprised, he is not entirely shocked by the show’s success across the continent. Firstly, he says, they thoroughly researched about the subject and even when they added some bit of fiction to dramatize the film, even the people of Balobedu started questioning their own long-held folk tale.
For example, Queen Modjadji’s childhood friend, Raisibe is a fictitious character that never existed but Ndlovu says had to be created because the queen in the film had to have a confidant, somebody who grows up with her. This, he says, has left even the natives wondering if indeed Raisibe ever existed.
He also thinks other Africans have been attracted to the story because they can relate to rural South Africa, the culture and the elements therein like huts, baskets, kraals, kingdoms, and communal and extended family setups.
“Just to watch and see huts, and those elements that are considered rural – some people even look at them as backward – I think it is touching them as Africans; particularly to see South Africa reflected like that because I think we are dangerously notorious for being known to want to push the narrative that we’re a developed African country,” he said.
“So, for us to sit and watch South Africa in all its glory 200 years ago, I think is appealing to the rest of the continent to say we’re one. This is what we have in common. I think these are things that are attractive to other people.”
STRONG FEMALE LEADS
One of the most striking aspects of Queen Modjadji is the presence of strong female characters. Ndlovu, who hails from a poetry, theatre and journalism background, says he usually focuses on character development and strong female leads in all his films, which he claims are always in the top five.
He says portraying such female characters as Modjadji herself, Raisibe, Aunty Khadikhulu, and queen mother Dzungundini is important not just for historical accuracy but for recontextualizing African societies.
“They have always thought of us Africans as being patriarchal and male chauvinists. The world hardly thinks of us as people who had female leaders and heroes 200 years or so ago. So, for me, Queen Modjadji is one of those stories that dispel the myth that we Africans, the male are only dominating the women all the time. But the woman is the centre of the story and it is a factual story. And if you can see episodes 6, 7 you can see she is fighting against a male-dominated hierarchy 200 years ago, not even now,” he said.
AFRICAN STORYTELLING
Ndlovu is a firm believer in Africans taking control of their narratives, saying only they can tell their African stories accurately without trying to push a hidden agenda.
He also wants young African producers to take over but he insists they must first put in
the hard work first. His production house is currently collaborating with producers in Morocco and Ghana to develop films which, he says, will hit our screens within the next two years.
“People like myself are much older now; we need to be ready to hand over the reins to the young people. But before we give them the baton fully at 100 per cent, we have to make sure that they’re well trained such that when they do their own productions, they also pay attention to the details. It is very pleasing to hear a journalist like yourself say we tick all the boxes, but it doesn’t happen by osmosis. You have to sit down and make sure that you tick all the boxes. So, we need to teach the young people such that by the time we transfer skills and give them ownership, we have to make sure that they have to know exactly what they are dealing with.”
LESSONS TO YOUNG FILMMAKERS
Interestingly, securing an interview from a South African producer turned out to be way easier than getting Ugandan producers to talk about their creative works.
Out of, say, 10 Ugandan producers/actors, only about three are willing to talk at all, but it will still take you as much as a month or longer just to ‘schedule’ the interview – moreover with a 50 per cent chance that they will pull out and stop communicating altogether.
Ndlovu’s media management team responded within two days and the interview was conducted on the fourth day after The Observer reached out.
On the issue of funding, often cited as a challenge for African filmmakers, Ndlovu advises aspiring producers not to let budget constraints hinder their creativity. Well- researched and well-produced works using any available equipment, he says, will always attract the next investments.
Multi-award winner Uzair Merchant during the MultiChoice Talent Factory masterclass in production design emphasized just as much. Shot framing for the different screen sizes, panning and even the choice and colours of the actors’ costumes contribute immensely to the scene and theme that a producer is trying to portray on screen.
Props and elements are also not just placed to fill up space; they must have a purpose why they are there. For Ndlovu, the essence of African cinema lies in telling authentic stories, no matter the budget.
“In the movie space, if you do a film and it sets itself apart, it will help you to raise money for the next project…Africans should tell African stories. If in South Africa I can relate to [Ugandan comedian] Anne Kansiime and have fun and enjoy [her skits], then I know even in Uganda they will enjoy and have fun with South African stories as well.”
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