Popular documentary series Bornfrees
returned to e.tv on Sunday, 16 September, at 6.05pm. This third season again
investigates the lives of young people born during the advent of democracy in
1994. Season 1 was filmed when the children were ten years
old in 2004, followed by Season 2 at the age of fifteen. Bornfrees 3: Turning 18 returns to visit eight teenagers as they
turn eighteen in 2012.
Since 2004 the Bornfrees
goal has been to follow the lives of a selection of South African children who
share the commonality of being born in the year South Africa celebrated its
first democratic elections. The show records their hopes and
dreams and gain an understanding of how their lives have been affected by
freedom.
"It has been
an amazing and emotional experience to watch these kids grow over the past 8
years, I am proud of them and very proud of this show. This season is
going to be exceptional and I can't wait for everyone to see it," says Louise
van Hoff, executive producer and Okuhle Media Joint CEO.
Representing
the new generation of 677 000 children who were born
free are eight inspirational young South Africans. In KwaZulu Natal Sasha-Lee
Subramoney is celebrating her eighteenth birthday with friends, Thandeka
Mbokazi is establishing a relationship with her biological mother and Thabisa
Nkani is attending extra science lessons in preparation for studying health
sciences next year.
In Johannesburg Khumbula Ngcobo is excited to
attend his matric dance when a serious injury on the rugby field seems set to
ruin his plans for his matric. In Pretoria, Aletta Beukes is preparing to make
her first step towards independence and is moving out of her parents' home.
In the Western Cape Kegan de Beer and Aminah Raciet attend the same school but
their personal lives have been very different. Aminah's life has been touched
by tragedy when her father passed away but in this season of Bornfrees there is
renewed hope for her and her family. Kegan has had
many challenges too but his girlfriend Jamie has changed his perspective. In
George, Likhaya Poni is still staying away from his parents who are in Nyanga,
Cape Town so he can attend a good school. Matric pressure is mounting for
Likhaya as he dreams of studying medicine in the future.
“With
3 years having passed since we last saw the Bornfrees, viewers are in
for a real treat. In Season 3, we will witness these seemingly care-free and
spirited youth transform into young adults with responsibilities and big
life-changing decisions to make”, commented Monde Twala, Head of Channel for
e.tv.
Bornfrees
3: Turning 18 considers what it means to be poised at
the edge of a milestone: the Bornfrees all turn 18 in 2012. This translates
into passing or failing matric, becoming ‘legal,’ learning to drive, being
allowed to vote, making decisions about tertiary education, leaving home,
engaging in adult relationships, pursuing careers or pursuing money, defining
their identity as a new generation of school leavers in South Africa today.
Bornfrees
is based on the successful British documentary series 7-Up by filmmakers
Michael Apted, which has followed the same people every seven years; with 56 Up
broadcasting in May this year. Follow
the Bornfrees South Africa story on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BornfreesSa or twitter
@BornfreesSA
Profiles
of the Bornfrees
Thabisa Nkani
Thabisa
at ten was a performer, extremely confident, talkative, very well informed and
dreamed of becoming an astronaut. At fifteen she was still as bright as a
button, determined to succeed. However, she still managed to have fun and
had a wide circle of friends. At eighteen, Thabisa is still living with
her single parent mom and attending Durban Girls High School. In Bornfrees 3 we
spend time with Thabisa at school, meet her friends again and find out what her
plans are for 2013. Prepare to be inspired by Thabisa Nkani!
Sasha-Lee Subramoney
At
ten, Sasha was a very friendly and talkative child, but also a very protected
child. Her parents spoke of the difficult times they experienced with her
kidney problem since she was a baby. She had to stay indoors most of time and
became such a knowledgeable bookworm. Aged ten, it was no surprise that she had
decided that one day she will read e-news for a living. By fifteen, Sasha’s
maturity and insight shone through as well as her attacthment to her friends.
At eighteen, Sasha is the model daughter - excelling at school, a leader,
bright and confident, and planning that next year she not be living at home
while studying. But letting her close family go will be difficult - for both
her and her parents.
Kegan de Beer
When
meeting Kegan at ten, the first thought was of his star potential. He loved
riding bike, playing soccer and being a boy. Kegan’s parents had split.
The family moved house and Kegan was now far from his friends and his familiar
surroundings. At eighteen, Kegan has
experienced the miracle of his parents getting back together. This unexpected
turn of events has had an immensely positive impact on Kegan's family life. And
in his own life, Kegan has also experienced the power of love.
Aminah Raciet
Aged ten, one of the things that made Aminah special was her love
and care for her father who was in a wheelchair after he was shot in a
robbery. By season 2, Aminah’s dad had sadly passed away and she was a
much more serious young girl. Life is not easy for this family, yet they
leave you with a feeling of hope as they still believe things will be ok. Now
at eighteen Aminah and her mother have quite a few reasons to be excited to
share their story again... all will be revealed on this new season of
Bornfrees!
Likhaya
Poni
At
the age of ten and living in Nyanga, Likhaya was very popular and admired by
other kids because of his special leadership qualities. Softly spoken and
thoughtful, Likhaya planned on being a fire fighter. Aged fifteen, it was clear
that this family’s love for each other is tangible and even though they have
very little materially, and were forced to send their son away to stay with
relatives in George to give him the best possible chance at a future, they have
so much in each other. Aged eighteen, Likhaya is still in George and a
lot of his energy is focussed on school work. Far from his family, how is
Likhaya coping with the pressure of matric?
Khumbula Ngcobo
As a 10 year
old, with brothers and sisters all in university, it was no surprise that
Khumbula seemed older than his years. Khumbula was a sociable go-getter
who will achieve in life. By the age of fiften, despite being much bigger,
Khumbula is still a very insightful and caring teenager. At eighteen,
Khumbula is living the dream - first team rugby, learning to drive, physically very
fit, doing well at school and getting ready for his matric dance. It looks like
the perfect life -- but then he damages his ankle playing rugby a couple
of days before the matric dance. At first it seems like a small injury but
while the Bornfrees team are filming with Khumbula, it turns out that it may be
more serious than he first thought...
Aletta Beukes
When we first met Aletta at age ten, she lived in a dilapidated shack in
Pretoria with another 15 people living with them on the property, including a
black family. Aletta was an incredible example of the new SA, she had no
notion of racism or the history thereof, yet lived a life free of racial
prejudice due to living side by side with a black family. By the age of 15
Aletta was thinking of a possible career as an artist, enjoying doing her
homework with her best friend Eva who lives in the shack on their property and
meeting boys. At eighteen, Aletta is no longer at school and is helping her
mother after she had a foot operation. The Bornfrees team follow her as she
takes the huge step of moving out of her parents' home and becoming independent
for the first time.
Thandeka Mbokazi
Aged
10, Thandeka lived in rural Kwazulu-Natal with her mom, dad and brother in a
new flat that her father has just built. Her parents mentioned that she does
not talk a lot, she just loves to read her books. By fifteen, Thandeka was
living a double life. She had run away from home more than once and pretty much
did as she liked. During the preparation for Bornfrees 3, the team
discovered that Thandeka ran away shortly after the team filmed with her for
Season 2 and her school friends and family had lost all contact with her. Days
before the Bornfrees team visited they heard that Thandeka was home again and
went to find her: they discovered a story of heartbreak, betrayal and lost
dreams - but also one of hope for the future.
About Okuhle Media
Okuhle Media (www.okuhle.co.za) is a content creation company based in Cape
Town, South Africa. Established in 2000, Okuhle is positioned as a dynamic
company with deep insights into what drives entertainment value and audience
participation within the content we produce. The name Okuhle (Xhosa) means
“great things”. They extend this ideology to include great content, great
people, great customers and the delivery of great results. Whether their
clients are broadcasters or brands, and no matter the chosen media, Okuhle
combines an extensive knowledge of production and strategic marketing insight
to produce engaging experiences that spark conversations. Key areas of expertise lie in
television production, branded content (AFP’s), corporate communications such
as AV’s, presentations and in-store media, marketing and communications
strategy, creative strategy, experiential and digital campaign’s and online
relationship management.
