While I negotiated which hat to wear for our virtual interview, writer and producer Albert Snyman was negotiating Cape Town traffic. Dressed in a black shirt and wearing glasses, he beams with pride and excitement about Netflix’s second Afrikaans-language series, Tuiskoms.
Directed by Nina Swart, the seven-episode series explores love and loss through Fleur (Amalia Uys), a chef and mother facing a tough set of circumstances. Down, but not out for the count, Fleur relocates to her parents’ home in Wilderness, Western Cape, to recharge and search for new opportunities.
The idea for the series was conceived during the Covid-19 pandemic when Snyman and head writer Louis Pretorius reflected on what people around the country were experiencing.
“We sat talking about all the loss people were feeling,” says Snyman. “People were worried they were going to lose their businesses.
“While Louis and I were discussing all the loss around us, it was Louis who suggested we write a story about a woman who had lost everything.”
A dramedy of love and grief
Tuiskoms, meaning “homecoming”, tackles different types of grief.
When Snyman and Pretorius started working with two other writers, Sandra Vaughn and Rosalind Butler, the theme of loss was expanded through three generations of women.
As Fleur deals with the loss of a business and her husband, her teenage daughter Kelly (Jane de Wet) is grappling with the emotional impact of moving away from everything she knows.
The late Michelle Botes, who brilliantly plays Abigail, Fleur’s mother, is also grieving the loss of her marriage.
These women, from different generations, Snyman adds, have to heal and start over.
“It was fascinating to think about how people find joy again through a renewed sense of purpose. For instance, Fleur starts making flowers while reuniting with her mother, getting to know her better and settling past hurts to become a family again.
“She does all this while also working on being a better mother to her teenage daughter.”
Snyman says they wanted to use the vehicle of a dramedy to tell uplifting stories.
“It’s difficult finding the balance because you start from a place of sadness, which is hard with an audience. So, that’s why we try to blend humour with the drama, so that viewers don’t become completely doom and gloom. We like telling stories of hope and joy, stories that show how great and resilient South Africans are and what an amazing country we have.”
Snyman contends that a dramedy offers the opportunity to explore love beyond romance.
“It’s not just physical romance but literally seeing the ocean, the flowers and all sort of the breathtaking natural sights. It’s that thing of when you have to find yourself again.
“Fleur doesn’t just find love, she also finds herself and the town’s uniqueness. I mean, nothing in life is perfect, but we’ve always kind of felt, you must seek perfect imperfection in life, in the sense of nothing’s ever going to be ideal, but there’s still so many things around you that are great and wonderful.”
A flair for flowers
Shot on location in the town of Wilderness along the Garden Route, the beauty of the beaches and trails in the series is undeniable.
Snyman says what they liked about Wilderness was the contrast between the rough sea and the steady mountains and forests.
“We see it the same with the characters —they are also sort of wild inside. One minute they’re happy and the next minute they’re sad.”
Driven by the sounds of guitars and pianos, Tuiskoms features a copious supply of kisses and flowers. And I mean a truckload of flowers with South Africa’s national flower, the Protea, at the forefront of this visual experience.
When Snyman and the team visited Wilderness, to do research, they were surprised to find out how many farms were available as locations, growing indigenous flora such as proteas and pincushions for export.
“It’s quite a big industry with many flower farmers, designers and florists.”
Snyman says due to these fascinating findings they wanted to promote local flowers.
“It was important to us to celebrate our flower industry. Most of the actors that have to work with the flowers even had to get training on flower designing.
“We wanted to put it front and centre because, if we were going to get this one chance with a Netflix series, we wanted the rest of the world to see our country’s beauty and artistry.”
Snyman emphasises that was why they shot everything on location: “If viewers watch the show and like it, they can go to those places because they actually exist.”
Afrikaans to the world
Following the release of the crime thriller series Ludik in 2022, Tuiskoms is Netflix’s second original Afrikaans production. The Afrikaans market’s voracious viewership and production is incontestable, be it in film, television and even literature.
Regarding Afrikaans content for television, DStv’s KykNET channels are the dominant players. Its annual Silwerskerm Awards are proof of this commitment to celebrating the Afrikaans film and television industry.
Netflix’s competitor Showmax has also built a sizable inventory of Afrikaans shows, such as Koek and Wyfie, since its relaunch last February. Just last month, for instance, the local streamer released rom-coms Soos Pynappel op Pizza and Gebokste Liefde to capture the Valentine’s Day hype.
Tuiskoms can, however, be enjoyed at any month of the year and time of day. Its relatable, easy-to-follow storyline will appeal to a variety of audiences, including a Motswana-Zulu viewer like me. When my Afrikaans bundles and lessons from my in-laws faded, subtitles supplemented my watching experience.
Having produced rom-com Troukoors (Wedding Fever) in 2021, Snyman responded to my question about what made rom-coms especially appealing to audiences in South Africa.
“Some viewers look for an escape,” he says. “With Troukoors we were happy to also draw a large black female audience who enjoyed it.
“I think the thing about a romcom is, if you get it right, viewers from any background can actually relax and enjoy it. They can go on a journey with the characters and sort of experience their lives.”
Towards the end of our interview, Snyman reflects on working with Netflix. He and the team at Infinity Films wanted to put their best foot forward to showcase our country’s diverse cultures and refreshing stories to the world.
“All we ever see about South Africa is our sports stars, singers and politicians. So when you actually get the chance to tell a story, you want to tell it well so they can see there’s this whole world here.
“Netflix understood our vision and supported us all the way from start to finish.”
For some, going back to your parents after the city life has broken your spirit can be a daunting experience filled with shame. For others, however, it is a Sunday afternoon reunion with friends and family surrounded by flower shops, cafés and coastal scenery.
It is a pair of shoes or a T-shirt found in your old bedroom that still fits. You cry not only from the unexpected familiarity but also the foreign feeling of loss. Suddenly you remember going back home is not failure, but another chapter worth continuing to write.
Tuiskoms is about healing, heart and humour. It is about overcoming interpersonal struggles in order to let go of the old and to let in the new.