As it made its debut, HISTORY®, DStv channel 186, premiered the highly- anticipated television reboot of the classic series, ROOTS, a four-part, eight-hour series developed by HISTORY.
Roots is based on the best-selling novel by Alex Haley, it recounts the journey of one family’s will to survive, endure, and ultimately carry on their legacy despite enormous hardship and inhumanity. Spanning multiple generations, the lineage begins with young Kunta Kinte, who is captured in his homeland of The Gambia and sold into slavery. Throughout the series, the family continues to face adversity that reveals powerful truths about the universal resilience of the human spirit.
DStv hosted a screening of the movie, for subscribers, media men and women as well as members of the Ghana Film Producers Association and Actors Guild at the Best Western Premier Hotel. At the event was Mrs. Olivia Opoku Adoma, Director for Research, Statistics and Information of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Arts and Mrs. Georgina Quaisie a representative of the Ghana Education Service
MultiChoice Ghana PR and Communications Executive Pamela Takyi speaking for the General Manager, Cecil Sunkwa-Mills stated, “ it is essential that we do not forget our past as it directly and indirectly affects us in the present. Roots is a prime example of an epic historical take which deserves to be told to a new generation of global viewers. ROOTS on the HISTORY® channel can now be watched on the Compact bouquet under the open month but only until July 13th 2016. We understand that people are excited about the story of ‘Kunta Kinte’ a story that resonates with Africans in terms of not only culture but as a part of our history as a continent, and we are delighted to share this experience and entertainment with our subscribers.”
Speaking at the premiere, Mrs. Olivia Opoku Adoma, Director for Research, Statistics and Information of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Arts encouraged the Producers and industry stakeholders available to make use of Ghana’s tourist attractions during production. She reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to the arts “We are always available to help in anyway especially when it comes to showcasing our rich culture to the rest of Africa and the world”. She invited all to attend the Ghana Carnival scheduled for July 2016
Guests were treated to an ideal African setting to depict the theme of the movie and entertained by Kacey Moore, former Big Brother Housemate and Poet of Kona Live Fame.
The movie Roots will also be repeated on Lifetime on Sundays at 6pm (from June 19) following its debut on HISTORY.
Starring in the series are Academy Award® winners Forest Whitaker (“Fiddler”) and Anna Paquin (“Nancy Holt”); Academy Award® nominee and Emmy Award® winner Laurence Fishburne (“Alex Haley”); Golden Globe Award® winning and Emmy Award® nominated actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“Tom Lea”); Tony Award® winner Anika Noni Rose (“Kizzy”); Grammy Award® winner Tip “T.I.” Harris (“Cyrus”); Emayatzy Corinealdi (“Belle”); Matthew Goode (“Dr. William Waller”); Mekhi Phifer (“Jerusalem”); James Purefoy (“John Waller”) and introduces Regé-Jean Page (“Chicken George”) and Malachi Kirby (“Kunta Kinte”), originally played by LeVar Burton who is Co-Executive Producer in the new ‘Roots.’
