The Client: Bomb Shelter
The Brief: To ensure authenticity of language, history and culture during all stages of production of Shaka-Ilembe.
Several books, chapters in books, and journal articles have been written about King Shaka. Needless to say, most of the writings about King Shaka and the society he lived in, have been attended by a lot of inaccuracies and misinterpretations. In some instances, this has been due to poor research while in others it has been due to general prejudices that have characterized most writings on Africa by Western scholars. The main product of all this has been a historiography that did not fully recognise African agency. Bomb Shelter, a revered production company went into partnership with MultiChoice for the production of Shaka–ILembe, a 8-part epic about the heroic rise of one of Africa’s greatest king, Shaka kaSenzangakhona. From the onset, striking a balance between historical authenticity and drama was crucial to the plot. In ensuring the balance, Bomb Shelter commissioned Igunundu to assist with language and authenticity
The Idea
Language matters – One big challenge productions face is the need to effectively articulate the African experience through a language accessible to a wide audience – to create an epic drama inspired by history and a drama to drama the isiZulu language.
We aim at capturing the authenticity and deepen the understanding of this era – contribute in making a film that is an avenue for cultural affirmation, creative expression and a reimagining of what African heritage really means and possible introduction of Nguni scholarship and narrative in film – to create a story plot that is inescapable with cultural references, colloquialisms, mythologies and the designed look of the series, with unprecedented commitment to authenticity.
The Insight
Set to be released in 2023, after the launch of the countdown campaign towards heritage day, the drama has become a hot topic. People are a commending the delivery of the history in isiZulu and the exposure of the rich history, not only of Shaka and Nandi but also of the Ngunis of the time of Ilembe’s reign.
