The new documentary series Tutu's Children will start on Al Jazeera (TopTV 401 / DStv 406) tomorrow, Thursday 10 January at 22:00 (South African time) as reality cameras follow the participants in the leadership programme which Archbishop Desmond Tutu leads in Cape Town, trying to build a network of new African leaders.
In June last year I reported on Tutu's Children being filmed in Cape Town as camera crews followed the participants of the 2012 Tutu Fellowship programme.
The Fellowship programme and the documentary focuses on leadership in Africa and the 4 part Tutu's Children provides an unvarnished look behind-the-scenes where participants have emotional breakdowns, tell each other boldfaced truths about themselves, society, politics and cultural identities and forge new friendships as they share emotional opinions.
"Tutu's Children's offers a rare chance to witness a turning point in the lives of those who may one day change the course of Africa's history," says Paul Eedle, Al Jazeera's director of programmes. "The travails of our fantastic on-screen characters will entertain and will also give our viewers a strong glimpse into the big issues affecting Africa."
Tutu's Children follows five participants of the 2012 Tutu Fellowship programme as they debate the most controversial "African" issues - racial hierarchy, corruption, privilege and Western democracy. The participants are Marc van Olst (36) from Johannesburg, Zied Mhirsi (34) from Tunis in Tunisia, Swaady Martin-Leke (33) from the Ivory Coast, Lydie Hakizimana (30) from Kigali, Rwanda and Ndumiso Luthuli (36) from Johannesburg.
The cameras of Tutu's Children followed the five participants over the course of 7 months with filming in Tunis, Cape Town, Kigali, Johannesburg, Oxford and London (the Tutu Fellowship is run in conjunction with Oxford University) and makes for an eye-opening documentary.
Tutu's Children will go out from Thursday for 4 weeks at 22:00 and will repeat on Fridays at 23:00, Saturdays at 03:00, Sundays at 08:00, Mondays at 22:00, Tuesdays at 14:00, Wednesdays at 03:00 and Thursdays at 08:00 (all South African times).
