Documentary series 'Africa' is pure poetry in motion

15 February 2013 - 04:24 By PEARL BOSHOMANE
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A shoebill chick filmed in the nest for the first time
A shoebill chick filmed in the nest for the first time

BBC's new nature series, Africa, premieres on our screens this Sunday - and it's a must-see.

Let me make it clear: I've never been a fan of nature documentaries. I'm not a nature enthusiast - I'd rather holiday near a club than in the bush.

But after watching the first two parts of the five-part series, I have a newfound fascination with nature and a newfound respect for the people who put these kind of programmes together.

Narrated by the great David Attenborough (who else?), Africa follows the creatures roaming five regions of our beautiful continent: the Kalahari, Savannah, Congo, Cape and Sahara.

While there is no shortage of channels screening nature documentaries, this new series takes the genre to a higher level.

First of all, the camera work is amazing. Have you ever seen a close-up, slow-motion shot of saliva dripping from a lion's tooth? You will now.

The series shows us the diverse characters of the animal kingdom in intimate fashion.

The black rhino, for instance, is, to quote Attenborough's narration, "the most cantankerous resident of the Kalahari". But when a group of rhinos is later captured on film at night, they display a touching tenderness towards each other.

We even get to watch them flirt, and in one scene a female rhino pretends to be asleep to get rid of a male admirer - nature's equivalent of "Honey, I have a headache".

Africa can give any blockbuster film a run for its money in the entertainment stakes. It has great shots, good music and the perfect cast. The series is poetry in motion.

Clearly Mother Nature is the best screenwriter, director and costume designer - her work has just never been captured so stylishly before.

'Africa' will be on BBC Knowledge (184), Sundays at 6pm from February 17

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