Uk’shona Kwelanga is South Africa’s first ever drama series to be distributed exclusively via WhatsApp. The drama series is created in partnership with South African insurance company, Sanlam.
The series is written by South African scriptwriter Bongi Ndaba, and it will take place entirely within WhatsApp using texts, photos, voice notes, and video.
“It (Uk’shona Kwelanga) follows a family’s conversation in real-time to highlight the struggles of preparing for a funeral when money is tight,” said Sanlam in a statement.
“The plot follows the sudden and unexpected death of Bab’ Langa, which leaves the family shocked and saddened. When they set up a WhatsApp group to plan the funeral of the much-loved elder, tensions soon start to rise as they face financial pressure, family secrets and unanswered questions. Will they have enough money to give Bab’ Langa the funeral he deserves?” Sanlam continued in the statement.
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The drama series started on 4 June 2017 and you can watch the family’s conversations, hear their WhatsApp voice notes and see their shared photos as the 7-part drama series unfolds.
Here is what you need to do to subscribe and follow the Uk’shona Kwelanga drama series according to Sanlam:
- SMS your name and surname to (+27) 45603.
- Save ‘(+27) 073 174 4396’ as ‘Sanlam Funeral’ in your contacts. Sanlam says you won’t receive any messages if this step is skipped.
- You will be sent the daily episodes on WhatsApp every day for 7 days.
Given that the drama series is done in partnership with Sanlam and is about a funeral, it is likely that there will be advertisements promoting Sanlam’s funeral plans (insurance). Ndaba, however, has stated that the advertising is not obvious but rather subtle.
This post was originally published by iAfrikan. Check out their excellent coverage and follow them down here:
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