Last Thursday evening had to be the busiest night in Jozi. From the Feather Awards that took place at the Market Theatre to Kelly Khumalo celebrating the launch of the live DVD version of her The Voice of Africa (TVOA) album, the atmosphere was generally charged with celebrations.
Among the many festivities that set Jozi ablaze was the celebration of the much anticipated second season of Giyani: Land of Blood, that made its return to the small screens at the beginning of this month after a successful first season run.
The creators invited a handful of guests to gather for the celebration, at one of Sandton hotel’s quaint gardens where the spectacle went down.
And just as the invitation promised “a once in a lifetime Giyani experiential event”, they do certainly lived up to that expectation by bringing Giyani to the City of Gold.
From the moment one entered the gates of the said villa, you were instantly greeted by colourful Xitsonga cloths, the unmistakable music, the fashion and the diverse northernmost province’s languages like Xtsonga, Tshivenda and SePedi, clearly painting the night’s mandate.
The cast adorned their respective character’s attires as a way of introducing themselves to the guests.
Like Rami Chuene, who recently joined the star-studded cast, who dressed elegantly in a white and mustard outfit that perfectly fit a rich mama – her on-screen character.
A special traditional food stand of mopane worms, spinach, chicken feet and pap, was stationed at the stage’s far left and was manned by Mam’Linah Ngcobo and Candy Tsa Mandebele, who are both part of the cast and equally dressed the part of their individual character.
But it was producer Phathutshedzo Makwarela who gave meaning to the entire gathering through his speech. Makwarela, who is just one part of the Tshedza Pictures duo that has taken Mzansi small screens by storm, said Giyani: Land of Blood was inspired by his and Gwydion Beynon’s dream to give the once marginalised culture and languages a space of expression on television.
“Giyani: Land of Blood is a love-letter to South Africa and to marginalised, so they can see themselves represented on television. And that was mainly one of our intentions when we started the company. It’s funny how this show came much later after we were producers, but this was the first show that we submitted to any broadcaster.
“And here we are in season two. This dream of seeing the show celebrate (its) season two is not a dream that we achieved on our own but with the help of many of those on the team and the SABC,” he said.
But with all the good that took place on the night, including a beautiful presentation by a Xitsonga traditional dance group that entertained the crowds, load shedding made its unwelcome appearance and managed to mess up the remainder of the night.
So much so that singer Makhadzi’s performance was among the affected on the programme, with the venue speakers unable to handle performance music because they were connected to a generator.
She attempted her performance three times before finally giving her energetic performance that the crowds eagerly awaited.
Others who graced the night’s celebration were Ndivhuho Mutsila, the forever elegant Maduvha Madima and Senzo Radebe, who are all cast members, and we also spotted musician Ihhashi Elimhlophe, who came out to support his wife.
@AmandaMaliba