Gaz'lam is a South African educational drama television series created by Barry Berk, Peter Esterhuysen and Lauren Segal from an idea by Ngaire Blankenberg, S'bu Nxumalo and Clarence Hamilton and produced by Ochre Moving Pictures which explores love, sex and relationships, with recurring themes of male and female identities and expectations, sexual negotiations and betrayal and conflict between "tradition" and modernity, against a backdrop of HIV/AIDS.
The show uses modern mythology to transport viewers into the worlds of the living, the dead, and the in-between. The guide through these worlds is the spirit of GP, a ghost who serves as the story's narrator.
He relates Sifiso's story as a cautionary tale and with a message of hope: that it is never too late for us to make the right choice and make a change in our lives.
While the first two seasons deal with the sacrifices, compromises and problems associated with trying to make relationships work, Seasons 3 and 4 also look at the relationship with oneself, with particular attention to the concept of love.
What is love, in all of its manifestations? Love for self, love for others, conditional love, unconditional love, healthy and unhealthy love.
Does someone make a choice to love someone? If so or not, what choices does a character make out of or for love?
Central to the storyline are the recurring themes of male and female identities and expectations; sexual negotiations and betrayal; conflict between "tradition" and modernity; the maturation of love and the consequences of the choices we make, all set against a backdrop of South Africa's HIV/Aids pandemic.
The tagline for the series is "Love, sex, and relationships in the new South Africa." Gaz'lam means "blood that binds" or "brotherhood".
The first episode of the series was dedicated to the memory of series star Sipho Mzobe, who was murdered in July 2002, months before the series was broadcast.
Credits
Series Producer and Head Writer
Charlie Sapadin
Executive Producers
Indra de Lanerolle
Lauren Segal
Directors
Alex Yazbek (26 episodes, 2003-2005)
Barry Berk (13 episodes, 2002)
Bronwyn Berry (7 episodes, 2005)
Hlomla Dandala (6 episodes, 2005)
Writers
Charlie Sapadin (28 episodes, 2003-2005)
Barry Berk (13 episodes, 2002)
Neil McCarthy (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Bongi Ndaba (4 episodes, 2005)
Craig Freimond (3 episodes, 2003)
Stephen Simm (3 episodes, 2005)
Nick Warren (3 episodes, 2005)
Alex Yazbek (3 episodes, 2005)
Music Composer
Philip Miller
Story Contributors
Palesa Letlaka
Makhaola Ndebele
Ntsieng Sithe
Israel Makoe
Pule Hlatshwayo
S'bu Nxumalo
Monde Mayephu