Breaking Down Borders with Paul Modjadji TV series

Paul Modjadji’s 10 country African tour is chronicled in an enthralling new fourteen-part travelogue on SABC 1.

For several week’s Modjadji and his entourage have taken viewers to some of Africa’s top landmarks and historical sites in countries such as  Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Namibia. Having hit its half-way mark with the recent Nigeria episode the series still promises more adventures and thrills as they visit the remaining countries such as Senegal, Botswana, Lesotho, as well as two special episodes that take viewers to Croatia and our very backyard of Gauteng in South Africa. The 14-part series culminates with a two-part reunion hosted by Minnie Dlamini.  

The documentary follows Modjadji as he explores Africa’s rich youth and dance culture. Each episode serves up a kaleidoscope of experiences showcasing Africa’s leading landmarks and heritage sites through the eyes of youth activists and artists on home soil.

“I am humbled by the positive response that the series is receiving. It has been a labour of love, the team and I couldn’t be more proud that audiences are captivated by the people and places we meet and visit in the series.” Said Paul Modjadji who added that “The journey revealed an unmatched generosity of spirit. Our interactions brought into sharp focus just how creative and good spirited us Africans are.”

 The series is produced by award-winning producer Wandile Molebatsi and directed by Paul Modjadji with Sibusiso Mahlangu as director of photography. An established dancer choreographer, theatre maker and newly minted film director, Modjadji directed the award-winning short film “The Deal”.

“The viewer is taken on a journey that depicts the challenges, and excitement, of traveling our continent. Each country offers a window into a people, a country and diverse experiences, landscapes, and cultures. The feedback from this current season has inspired us to explore plans for another season. Viewers must stay tuned as the current series only gets better with each episode. The series promise a crescendo of a finale with a bag of surprises.  ” said the show’s producer Wandile Molebatsi.

Modjadji travels with close friends and family — sister Nthabiseng Modjadji, the tour coordinator, Sibusiso Mahlangu a filmmaker and photographer, and dancer Ginger Wensky.

The Breaking Down Borders Africa TV series is a fresh take on Africa by Africans. Exploring dance and youth culture, the documentary takes viewers inside the lives of some of Africa’s most inspiring change makers.

Among them are BBC Top 100 Inspirational Women award winner Naomi Mwaura, African Union official Lorato Modongo, and founder of Zimbabwe’s preeminent Jibilika arts festival Plot Makho.

The team encounters firsthand a strikingly developed, breathtakingly scenic and generously welcoming continent. They taste exquisite cuisine, visit iconic sites including the River Nile, Victoria Falls, and Gorée . They meet some of Africa’s towering cultural figures including Kenyan photojournalist Dr Nike Davies-Okundaye and Kenyan socio-political activist Boniface Mwangi.

The Breaking Down Borders Africa Series is on SABC 1 on Wednesdays at 6 p.m.                       

Meet The Cast  

Paul Modjadji

Internationally acclaimed choreographer, dancer and social entrepreneur Paul Modjadji is one of South Africa’s decorated exports. Having made history in 2011 as the first African dancer to be crowned world Champion at the  World Dance Masters in Croatia, Modjadji has gone on to choreograph major international shows such as as the IBSA summit in China, The MTV Africa Music Awards, The SA year in China Closing Ceremony in Beijing, The Namibian Annual Music Awards, to mention but a few. In 2015 President Barack Obama honored Modjadji with a Young Leaders Mandela Washington award. Paul is the main subject on the Breaking Down Borders Africa Documentary series. The tour is personal to him as he is on a personal mission to set his roots deep within his continent. At a deeper level Modjadji suffers from the shame of having been grately travelled and celebrated outside of the continent, and having little roots in the continent he so proudly represents globally.

Sbu Mahlangu

Sbu is a young filmmaker, graphic designer and photographer who graduated with Textile Design and technolgoy from TUT.  He was born and bred in Pretoria, where he currently resides and runs his company Creative Culture Collectives.  Sbu is the only camera operator to visit all toured countries with Modjadji. He is his number one content development partner and the two share a brotherly connection that audiences will grow to love.  Unlike Paul, traveling across the continent presents the first time Sbu ever travels outside the borders of the country. Along the ride Sbu is compelled to face a number of firsts,  including learning to swim and learning to live out of his bag.

Nthabiseng Modjadji

The tour coordinator and manager, Nthabiseng Modjadji is Paul’s doting and devoted sister. A graduate in Social sciences and politics at Rhodes University, Nthabiseng is smart and has a firm ground of Africa’s history and politics. She is responsible for coordinating each of the countries toured, and planning the itinerary for the team on the ground alongside the country’s. Nthabi is meticulous, cheerful and often sarcastic. Her relationship with her brother demonstrates the love they have for each other. She understands his need to do things right and to do things with intention.

Ginger Wensky 

Paul’s Dance Company assistant, Ginger is a South African based German born dancer. She is the founder of Dam Ditty Doo, an organisation that makes arts accessible to children in underserved communities. She is adventurous and creative. Though she only appears in five of the 10 countries toured, Ginger leaves an impression on camera. She is always the first to jump into any lake, river or sea, without consideration of any possible danger. With her on tour the team is pushed to get the full experience of the countries visited. Ginger and Paul enjoy a working and friendship that is often depicted as honest but also tumultuous.

Minnie Dlamini Jones

Host of the two part Finale parts, Minnie Dlamini is a prominent South African actress and television and radio personality.

Minnie’s illustrious career highlights includes roles in successful shows such as Generations, The Wild, Rockville and recently The Honeymoon film. The actress has hosted SoccerZone alongside Thomas Mlambo until 2016. Since then, she has hosted several other award events such as the 14th Metro FM Music Awards, the 2016 Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards, the PSL Awards and the South African Film and Television Awards.