reporter HARRIET MEIER photographer SIVU MATSILIZA
TEN QUESTIONS
with DANIE ODENDAAL
In South Africa , the name Danie Odendaal is synonymous with the extremely popular Afrikaans television soapie , 7de Laan , which is broadcast every weekday on SABC2 . As such , we were thrilled when Danie eventually took the big step and joined WGSA at the beginning of this year .
Harriet Meier : Welcome to the Guild , Danie . You ’ re known in the industry as a writer / producer . What is your first love and why ?
Danie Odendaal : Writing and directing . Producing does not come naturally to me : the legal and financial aspects intimidate me and I am not good at negotiating deals or contracts . I only started producing when I realised that it was the only way of ever getting any of my scripts produced . When I left the SABC in the Eighties , drama contracts were predominantly issued to production houses or established producers , not to freelance directors or writers . I therefore started my own company as producer / director , and although I know it is not wise , I produce and direct all my own scripts , probably because I ’ m a control freak and hate the idea of a producer messing around or fiddling with something I had written .
HM : 7de Laan recently celebrated 3000 episodes and it is as popular as ever , once again winning the Viewers ’ Choice Award at this year ’ s SAFTA Awards . What do you think makes 7de Laan so popular ? Does the fact that it is Afrikaans have something to do with it ?
DO : People keep telling me that they love the show because they can identify with the characters - “ people just like us ”, “ what happens to them could also happen to me ”. I shudder at the thought that there could be characters like Oubaas or Paula or Gita McGregor in real life … But seriously , I think people are attracted to Sewendelaan because even though we have action-packed storylines , strong emotional relationships and melodramatic dénouements like other soaps , we also address very ordinary , everyday incidents which viewers can identify with : Charmaine ’ s relationship with her daughter Vanessa , hiccups in Herman en Felicity ’ s married life , Nadia ’ s problems at school , Hilda and her domestic help Maria ’ s colourful relationship .
I ’ m not sure if Afrikaans plays a role in the show ’ s success . The subtitles have certainly had a positive impact on our viewership figures , and we have a huge black audience . I think the fact that
reporter HARRIET MEIER photographer SIVU MATSILIZA
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