Breaking new ground

A-list actor Samuel L Jackson uncovers his roots in a new doccie series that also reveals the horrifying details of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

- IPELENG RAKGANTSHO

Enslaved: The Lost History Of The Transatlantic Slave Trade

Season 1 Wednesdays (from 23 June)

SABC3 (*193) 21:00

Considering that there are numerous documentaries that examine the effects of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, legendary actor Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury in the Marvel movies, 2008-now) finds a fresh approach for revealing the heinous acts in his six-part docuseries Enslaved: The Lost History Of The Transatlantic Slave Trade (2020). First, he traces his own roots in Africa. Then a team of experts uncover sunken ships that didn’t reach destination, resulting in hundreds of thousands of Africans dying at sea. “For years, we’ve discussed the ships that made it, not the ones that didn’t. There were ships that went down with our ancestors, we want to tell those stories too,” says Samuel.

The 71-year-old actor collaborates with author and broadcaster Afua Hirsch as well as Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici – who directs the doccie – to explore the impact of the slave trade on the present-day economy, politics and modern culture.