Malachi Kirby plays Kunta Kinte in the 2016 remake of Roots on the History Channel.

When the History Channel first announced it was remaking Roots, the news received mixed reviews. Was it really necessary to redo this beloved cultural work that broke television records when it first aired in 1977?

“They just want to keep showing the abuse that we took hundreds of years ago,” Snoop Dogg vented as he took to social media.

However, the four-part series which premieres in South Africa on DStv Channel 186 on Wednesday, June 15 at 8.30 pm has been widely praised by critics and audiences alike, even being screened at the White House. Continue reading →