Underplayed Gems

Muvhango (1997)

Muvhango poster
Genre
soap opera
Country
South Africa
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This series follows the Vhakwevho family as they hold onto traditional ways, while other characters in Johannesburg embrace modern life. It explores the clash between old and new in South Africa, with strong family storylines.

dramaticfamily-centeredculturalslow-burneveryday lifegroundedcommunity-focusedtalkative

What happens

Muvhango is a South African television soap opera, created by Duma Ndlovu. It was broadcast on the public TV channel SABC 2, and had an average of 4 million daily viewers during its latter run before its conclusion. The first episode was aired on 7 April 1997. It was the first Tshivenda language TV drama, but later became multilingual in order to showcase that languages and cultures of South Africa should be used to unite rather than divide, even so Tshivenda is its primary language. The show is built on a premise that "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" meaning that we exist within a context. The show has strong family orientated storylines that seeks to speak to the conflict between the traditional and the modern ways. The Vhakwevho's are the custodians of the traditional side of things while the Johannesburg lot focuses on the modern ways. In 2006 the series was nominated for the South African Film and Television Award for best soap opera. In 2025, Muvhango ended after 28 years - with its last episode airing on 12 August, effectively leaving SABC 2 without a cornerstone program in the Venda language. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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