A new Hollywood-backed South African musical drama is in production, and one of its casting choices has sparked a pointed conversation about representation and ownership of local stories. The Road Home, a R300 million film set during the apartheid era, will trace the lives of exiled jazz musician Hugh Masekela and singer Miriam Makeba, who later became his wife.
South African actor Thabo Rametsi — fresh off his DGSA Best Actor win for Kalushi — has been cast as Masekela. The role of Makeba has gone to British actress Cynthia Erivo, best known internationally for Harriet and her role in Wicked. The latter casting has drawn immediate criticism from South Africans online, many of whom have questioned why local talent was not considered for the role of one of the country’s most beloved cultural icons.
The reaction online
The response on social media was swift and consistent in its frustration. Critics pointed to the wealth of South African actresses capable of embodying Makeba’s presence and argued that international productions set on South African soil should be more deliberate about investing in local talent. Several pointed out the contradiction of telling an African story while reaching abroad to cast its central figure.
The debate is not a new one. Cynthia Erivo is not the first international actor to attract criticism for taking on a South African role. The 2011 biopic Winnie Mandela cast Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard in its lead roles. Invictus placed Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar and Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. Cry Freedom in 1987 drew similar conversations, as did Daniel Radcliffe’s casting in Escape from Pretoria in 2020.
A wider question
What the response to The Road Home reflects is a growing expectation — particularly as African content gains momentum on global platforms — that the continent’s stories be told with authentic representation both in front of and behind the camera. The film’s R300 million budget signals serious international investment in South African narrative. Whether that investment extends to South African talent in its most visible roles is the question audiences are asking.
Production details and a release date for The Road Home have not yet been confirmed.
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