New Conversations is a South African documentary series produced by Ingrid Gavshon for Angel Films and directed by Sharon Cort which which delves into the minds and souls of the nation today.
The series premiered on SABC3 on Wednesday 7 June 2006, at 21h30. There are four hour-long episodes in the series.
Synopsis
African Goddesses, Hip Hop Rebels, Passionate Parliamentarians, and the Forgotten Vhangona - New Conversations is a four-part documentary series which delves into the minds and souls of the nation today.
From Thohoyandou to Mitchell’s Plain, from Polokwane to Plein Street, New Conversations is a dynamic dialogue with South Africans who are passionate about who they are, where they come from and where they are going.
SABC Education and the Parliamentary Millennium Project (PMP) commissioned this four-part series. PMP is an initiative of Parliament intended to create new perspectives on and of Africa.
The series is intended to unravel and create lively debate around the complex and diverse heritage that is ours, and to create new perspectives on our history and our place in Africa.
Use of visual imagery and archive enhances the unheard voices and new ideas that reveal themselves as the series travels into the minds and lives of many different South Africans.
The series takes us into the realm of hidden and unexpected, as South Africans delve into issues of heritage, identity and nation building.
Each programme in the series reflects a different mood, ranging from public celebration to intimate exclosures to soulful reflection.
From Polokwane To Plein Street
The first documentary looks at different forms of governance in South Africa and how they can work together.
From the vibrant royal council of Hosi (Chief) Shilubane of the Valoyi who is struggling to keep her title, to the custodians of the Black Rod, to Prophets of the City Rapping for Democracy, we see the symbol of our new democracy transformed.
All That I Am
Part two is more intimate, moving and often almost whimsical reflection on personal identity.
Dynamic and questioning South Africans reveal how they see themselves, the various influences that have shaped their identity both as individuals and members of a wider society and where they are going.
From Sonia Esquiera, whose production Porra was recently staged in Johannesburg, to Kgomotso Matsunyane, editor of O magazine and a self claimed goddess to Ready D, South Africa’s top DJ, we hear how place and culture have affected these South Africans' sense of who they are and where they are going.
Reclaim
Reclaim is a journey into African heritage, which has been hidden or denigrated, and the often-painful journey or reclaiming this heritage.
Over The Rainbow
The fourth and final documentary addresses the complex issues of creating a nation and national identity in a country, which has a divided history, but shared dreams for a new and better future.