Royal family excited about ‘Queen Modjadji’ premiere

The Balobedu royal family is thrilled about the upcoming premiere of Mzansi Magic‘s new drama series, Queen Modjadji, set to debut next month.

This historically inspired series promises to shed light on the rich culture and history of the Balobedu people.

In an interview with The Citizen, His Majesty Ba Mosata, Bakhoma Mpapatla Modjadji, said the series means a lot to them.

“The moment I heard about it, I fell in love with the idea. This will raise awareness of the Balobedu people, our culture, and our history.

It’s also a wonderful opportunity for our people to showcase their talent in a language they love and understand,” he added.

The making of Queen Modjadji included using artifacts and traditional items directly from the Balobedu Kingdom. Clay pots, calabashes, reed baskets, and beautifully made beadwork, all crafted by local artisans. The production created more than 600 jobs, offering important economic opportunities and supporting local talent.

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Nomsa Philiso, CEO of General Entertainment at MultiChoice, expressed gratitude for the collaboration and support they received from the royal family.

She emphasised the importance of storytelling in preserving history: “It’s nothing that happens without a practitioner. One of the things that are really important for us at MultiChoice, we don’t call ourselves the biggest storytellers in Africa only; we really try our best to make sure that we tell stories that will resonate and also preserve our history for future generations.”

Philiso also shared her excitement and anticipation for the premiere: “We’re quite excited. We are anxious because this is the first for a Sunday night to have this big production in the language that we have. I’ve been in television for many years, but I don’t think that we’ve ever told a story in Khelobedu.”

ALSO READ: Mzansi Magic unveils riveting new historical drama series ‘Queen Modjadji’

The making of ‘Queen Modjadji’

Queen Modjadji’s creative producer, Gersh Kgamedi, told The Citizen that the series carefully balances historical accuracy with creative storytelling.

“In African culture, the showing of the breast was not necessarily something frowned upon.

However, within the ambit of television, and also within modern days, it’s quite important how we represent a black body, in particular, a black woman’s body.

So, in designing the costumes and coming up with the overall look of the show, we needed to take that into consideration in terms of representing and respecting the black body.”

Kgamedi said he hopes the show will help people learn about and understand the legendary Queen Modjadji.

“Primarily, our aim is to entertain, but most importantly, it is to know about the legend of Queen Modjadji. She’s one of the most important leaders in Southern Africa.

“Not so many people talk about it. If they do talk about it, they talk about it out of context without understanding the history of Queen Modjadji and her influence in shaping South Africa.”

Queen Modjadji will premiere on 14 July at 8 pm, featuring a stunning cast including Helen Lebepe, Thabo Bopape , Wiseman Zitha along with Fatal Seduction actress Ngelekanyo Ramulondi, who will portray the young Modjadji, 14-year-old Maselegwani.

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