by Thinus Ferreira
An old Damara saying holds that patience is the key to eating ripe fruit and it is true for M-Net which has quietly been ramping up and expanding its slate of Afrikaans kykNET content from Namibia as it integrates stories from its South African neighbour into shows and even the nightly weather forecasts.
Observe closely, and notice that while Namibia is the country of the Atlantic Ocean, the Ovine, the Ovambo and the Omuramba, on M-Net's Afrikaans TV channels division, Namibia has come to resemble almost another South African province.
From increasing inserts on magazine shows like Kwêla, to the new culinary cooking show Op Pad met my Potjie, travelogues like Die Groot Niks with Neil Sandilands, Namibian towns included in the "Dorp van die Jaar" competition, and even Namibia featuring within the nightly eNuus weather forecast, the land of sand looms larger on DStv than ever before.
Production has started on the feature film My F*k Marelize, and the Namibian natural history documentary film Eden se Beskermengele just made its debut and is available on DStv Catch Up.
At the end of September, MultiChoice held the first MultiChoice Film Festival in Windhoek with panel sessions and content screenings, showcasing productions created under the MultiChoice Namibia local content-creation banner of "Ombura", comprising six feature films, and a documentary.
M-Net told TVwithThinus that kykNET is actively ramping up the commissioning of Namibian content for DStv subscribers and says "kykNET, in collaboration with MultiChoice Namibia and the
Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), is actively
commissioning Namibian content".
"This partnership demonstrates
MultiChoice's commitment to nurturing the Namibian television and film industry
and providing viewers with high-quality local content."
The new Namibian lifestyle show, Op pad met my Potjie on Mondays at 21:30 on kykNET which started 30 September, sees Afrikaans foodie Joalette
de Villiers travel across Namibia equipped with nothing more than a
three-legged pot.
As she learns how to make and value different popular Namibian
dishes, Joalette meets various people and experiences their culture through food as the show explores Namibian culture through the common tradition of cooking a
potjie and the Afrikaans language.
Op pad met my Potjie not only showcases all the places Joalette
visits from the perspective of the locals who live there but it captures and reflects Namibia to its viewers.
A show like this also opens up Namibia to DStv subscribers in South Africa who have never seen many of these places in their neighbouring country and are surprised about the striking architecture and that Namibia is more than sand dunes.
"One
of the interesting discoveries in commissioning Namibian content is the deep
connection between Afrikaans-speaking Namibians and South Africans," MultiChoice notes.
"Despite the
geographical distance, these communities share a common language, cultural
heritage, and historical experiences. This shared identity has facilitated a
strong sense of kinship and resonance among viewers on both sides of the
border."
"However, while there are many similarities with their South African
counterparts, Namibian Afrikaans culture has evolved in response to the
country's unique historical, geographical, and social contexts."
"This has led to
subtle yet significant differences in language, dialect, customs, and cultural
celebrations, one of which will form the backdrop to the film My f*k, Marelize."
Namibian feature films
In 2022, MultiChoice Namibia decided to ramp up its output of local and inspiring Namibian content and to empower and establish Namibian content producers within the country's creative industry.
Thirteen films have since debuted on DStv, GOtv and MultiChoice's streamer Showmax under the "Namibia to the World" banner, and MultiChoice and kykNET are working on the next batch of programme development under the Ombura content pipeline.
Ombura includes eight projects - six feature films, a documentary and a lifestyle series – each showcasing
a unique and authentic perspective of Namibia, its culture, its people, and way
of life.
Upcoming films on Sunday evenings on kykNET&Kie (DStv 145) at 20:00 include Speel Aan on 13 October in which a former soccer coach, haunted by his tragic past, reluctantly accepts a job coaching a struggling high school team in the hope of redemption.
Speel Aan stars Dawie Engelbrecht, Hazel Hinda, Lucky Pieters, and Edo Dice Lutete with Errol Geingob as director.
Ataman on 20 October, directed by Lucia Kim Hamunghete and stars Mpumelelo Malgas, Azembua Katjirua,
Norman Job, and Timothy Strauss.
In Ataman a young, ambitious soccer player refuses to let
his deceased father's shadow and a string of setbacks stop him from making the
national team.
In !Dhina Boys on 27 October a single mom starts a neighbourhood watch with a self-defence instructor after a mugging, trying to thwart the evil plans of a gang leader.
Michael Swartbooi and Lucia Kim Hamunghete are the directors of this film starring Senga Brockerhoff, Otja Kooper, Keanu
Greeves, Norbert van Wyk and Joe Mulisa.
Die Rooftog on 3 November, with director Hildegard Titus, is a comedy film that tells the story of a hardworking young man named Ernest who is struggling financially. Then his cousin Sly shows up in town with a plan to solve all their problems – he wants to rob luxury salons in Windhoek. Will they get away with it?
Die Rooftog stars Roger Nino, Edo Dice Lutete, Tjiurimo Kandjii, Amy-Leigh Hammond, Joyce Sydne Tjizu, Abigail Goliath, Oscar Shilongo, and Mark Kariahuua.
The action film Lubinda on 10 November directed by Leon Mubiana sees Lubinda return to the underworld after he left a life of crime behind, to rescue his rebellious daughter from the jaws of a vengeful past.
The film stars Fareed Du Toit, Harmony Ahalwa, Llewellyn Muenjo, Nguundja Kandjii, Filna Nalisa, and Johan Engelbrecht.
