11 hours ago
Relebogile Mabotja talks hosting Showmax's new TV show on divorce called Untied
The new Showmax show Untied features eight South African celebrities who have experienced divorce. Hosted by Relebogile Mabotja, the series takes a deeply personal look into each of their journeys.
With each episode featuring a different South African celebrity - including Dawn Thandeka King, Zandi Nhlapo and others - Relebogile reflects on the honour and challenge of guiding conversations on such an intimate and emotional subject.
'For me, there was no tension in the storytelling and the public perception. It was more of me creating a space where women felt that they were able to share parts of themselves in an environment that was free of judgment,' she tells TRUELOVE.
Ethical considerations
Her duty as a host includes being able to ask questions that viewers have in mind.
'I always had to keep in mind that in all of these stories, there are children involved - and the children involved, some are minors - but even those who are adults, still need to be protected and guarded in some way prior to having the sit-down interview. We were able to quickly have a chat about both feeling nervous about if they have any concerns.'
Relebogile shares that she approaches 'no-go areas' in a way that is 'considerate of the sensitivities'.
With the massive team behind her, they also help her stay in check as a host and as a facilitator of these sensitive conversations.
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Narratives around womanhood and marriage
With the women laying bare all the layers and realities that come with committing to a person legally, Relebogile shares how the show aims to challenge traditional South African narratives around womanhood, marriage and self-worth, which are also global.
'South Africans will be able to see themselves in at least one of these stories because it isn't just about divorce and marriage, it is also about the human experience. We are in an era of prioritising happiness, safety, security and being healthy over and above being married.'
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Her takeaway from the show
Despite how, for some people, the show might just be content, she shares how for the guests, it is their lives and their children's lives.
'Some of these stories are will be extremely triggering for viewers that may have experienced a similar thing and the responsibility on the show is to find the balance between allowing a person to share their experience their way with their own voice, sharing their narrative while also offering things like a right of reply to the other parties involved in their stories.'
'I used to think that resilience is something that shows itself when you're in the midst of going through it and going through the most but I realise resilience is also in the moments of things going well and continuing on a path of healing because you know where you've been and you understand that you may not be fully healed because the healing journey is a lonely and difficult one.
'Resilience does not always show itself in the ways we imagine. They also show themselves when you are now successful, have found love, all happy, and you are able to accept it, receive it and believe that you truly deserve it.'
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