Star-studded Roots shot partly in South Africa

The star-studded Roots – one of the most anticipated global television events of the year – premieres on South African television in June with parts of the series shot on location in KwaZulu-Natal.

This dramatic, historical portrait of American slavery, recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy, is based on the 1976 Pulitzer Prize-winning book written by Alex Hayley, Roots: The Saga of an American Family.

The 2016 series is a remake of the original Roots, which was released in 1977, and still remains the most-watched TV drama in US television history.

The eight-hour drama – which premieres on HISTORY® (DStv Channel 186) on Wednesday, June 15 at 20.30 – stars a host of award-winning actors including Laurence Fishburne as Alex Haley; Forest Whitaker; Jonathan Rhys Meyers; Anna Paquin and Anika Noni Rose. The series also introduces Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte, a name that has become ingrained in American culture as the slave who fought back.

The epic family saga also has four award-winning directors each directing one of the two-hour episodes – Philip Noyce (Patriot Games, The Quiet American), Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy), Thomas Carter (Coach Carter) and Mario Van Peebles (Empire).

The 26-year-old British actor Malachi Kirby is best known for his roles in EastEnders and Doctor Who but is likely to find global fame after his compelling performance. He admits that the role has been life-changing.

“It has made me decide to look into my own roots. I was born in London, I am a second generation Jamaican and I don’t know where I came from. I don’t know my history past my grandparents so I feel like there is a lack of identity that, in some ways, has disempowered me. So being part of (Roots) has made me want to find out where I come from.”

Mtunzini’s Umlalazi River and the Dlinza Forest near Eshowe in KZN were used for filming, doubling for scripted areas in Gambia and along the Kambay Bolongo River, where Kinte is taken prisoner transported down the river and put onto a ship to be sent to America.

LeVar Burton, who played the lead role of Kunta Kinte in the original 1977 version, is back as a co-executive producer this time around: “Nearly 40 years ago I had the privilege to be a part of an epic television event that started an important conversation in America. I am incredibly proud to be a part of this new retelling and start the dialogue again, at a time when it is needed more than ever."

Burton said the show served an important purpose in telling the young generation about a sombre chapter in history. “Those who forget history are condemned to repeat. There’s slavery going on today on this planet as we speak. Unless someone stand up and tells these stories, history will keep repeating itself,” he said.

To mark this TV event, HISTORY, which is usually available to Premium subscribers only, will be opened to DStv's Compact subscribers across Africa from Monday, June 13 to Monday, July 11. During this four week open-window HISTORY will broadcast new and exclusive shows, along with top-rated return titles that Compact subscribers will not have had access to previously. Roots will also be repeated on Lifetime on Sundays at 8pm (from June 19) following its debut on HISTORY.

About HISTORY

HISTORY® connects with viewers around the world – reaching over 302million households worldwide, in over 150 territories and translated into 37 languages. HISTORY looks at history in a different way, celebrating the men who go out and make their mark. These are the mavericks who defy risk, forge change, blaze trails, and extend boundaries; who determine the course of their lives and influence ours. Unique stories, inspired by yesterday, lived out today – that’s how we tell history.