Although there have been mixed feelings about the first season of Mzansi Magic’s youth drama, Ayeye, there are unconfirmed reports that it will return for a second season. While the acting was great and the production quality was impeccable, there was a feeling that the story could have been much better, but that’s a conversation for another time.
What’s interesting is how, when the first Ayeye was put to bed, some of the show’s characters have popped up on another Mzansi Magic show, Isibaya. I think that’s a great idea. It’s like having those surprise visits on WWE wrestling from non-wrestlers like Mike Tyson or Chuck Norris. People love that kind of cross-pollination. The personalities who appear on these projects bring their own clout and fans, building anticipation as to how they will fit into the set up they are entering.
So we saw Thapelo Mokoena briefly bring his role from Ayeye to Isibaya and since he’s the ladies’ man, surely the female fans enjoyed that. Another addition from Ayeye, who is active right now, is kwaito legend Zola who is still on the show. Thanks to his disappearance from TV for a while, Zola has managed to create a demand for his material so it makes sense to have him on Isibaya.
But that said, there are a few other sticky parts that come with those decisions, the main one being that there are several other actors who had been on Isibaya before we had Ayeye.
The likes of Vusi Kunene and Jessica Nkosi had made their names and grew their characters on Isibaya before being roped into the Ayeye project. So when other characters who were exclusively from Ayeye make appearances on Isibaya, you can’t help but wonder what that means for the other characters’ storylines.
For example, Kunene plays a chief on Isibaya and a businessman on Ayeye. So when he interacts with someone from Ayeye, which character will he be playing? The same goes for Nkosi, who is a rural girl on Isibaya and a streetwise Joburg lass on Ayeye.
The idea of cross-pollination is brilliant and should be encouraged, but it should be thought through so that it does not confuse the viewer.
l Isibaya airs every week night at 8.30pm on Mzansi Magic.