AFRICAN INDIAN ODYSSEY

To celebrate and commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first Indian settlers in South Africa, Ochre Moving Pictures in collaboration with CISA (Centre for Indian Studies in Africa) at the University of Witwatersrand have produced a documentary film titled African Indian Odyssey.

Saffron TV – a subsidiary of Ochre Moving Pictures, will premiere African Indian Odyssey on November 13 at 16h30 during DStv Premium Open time on channel 456. This will be followed by big screen premieres on November 18th at the Dorothy Suskind Auditorium at Wits University in Johannesburg, and in Durban on November 24 at the Supernova Theatre @ NuMetro CineCentre @ Suncoast.

African Indian Odyssey brings together South Africa’s leading intellectual, political and cultural figures to tell the story of South Asians in South Africa, the enormous sacrifices they made in building communities and their prominent role in the anti-apartheid movement. The result is a powerful portrait of South Africa’s unlikely minority, unsettling old stereotypes and posing new questions of what it means to be South African.

The documentary focuses on four main themes, each an individual journey of exploration through the eyes of the well-known presenters artist Riason Naidoo, author Achmat Dangor, historian and journalist William Gumede, and Indian television personality and great granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi – Amrita Gandhi.

Says Stan Joseph, CEO of Ochre Moving Pictures and Saffron TV, and African Indian Odyssey Executive Producer: “We wanted to make a film during the 150th anniversary that would contribute to the story of contemporary South African history. We don’t see this as something just for the Indian community, it’s a part of all of our history. We hope it will contribute to the ongoing struggle to respect diversity in South Africa”

Directed by Hina Saiyada, written by Jon Soske and produced by Gita Pather, Dilip Menon and Stan Joseph, African Indian Odyssey provides a fascinating insight of the people who carved a new life and home in another country and continent.

Ochre Moving Pictures is one of South Africa’s leading independent producers with a commendable track record of well-known local content television series, and shows. CISA (Centre for Indian Studies in Africa) at Wits University contributes the academic research and information that ensures that the documentary provides a credible and entertaining account of these stories.

Other transmissions of African Indian Odyssey on Saffron TV - DSTV channel 456 will be November 14 (07h30, 13h00 and 20h00); November 15 (08h00 and 16h30); November 18 (20h00 and 00h00), and November 19 (08h30, 12h30 and 16h30).