Certain epochs, key historical moments, and currents in the culture of contemporary society are the sources from which texts draw to construct seminal narratives, initiating a ‘vast progeny of literary and filmic descendants’ that are further recycled in an infinite number of renditions (Stam, 2005: 1). With every recycling, new twists and turns are introduced that reveal changing discursive practices and the ideologies prevailing at the moment of reinterpretation. By considering artistic expressions as an endless permutation of textual cross referencing, a comparison of seemingly diverse artistic traditions, such as isiZulu literature with a television drama series, is made possible. The drama series, Gaz’ Lam (Cousins/Friends) I, II, III and IV by Yazbek, flighted on the South African Broadcasting Corporation's, Channel One (SABC 1) in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively, provides an instance of intertextual dialogism with isiZulu literature. These films, though addressing a post-apartheid, African society, return to well-established themes in isiZulu literature such as culture and change, urbanisation, modernity and popular culture that provide prisms of refraction of present day actualities. Key to the film narratives, however, is how certain conventional, partisan, parochial and hegemonic discourses are reworked so that they resonate with evolving, post-apartheid, urban experiences.

In this chapter I focus on three of these thematic re-engagements in Gaz’ Lam. These themes are common to isiZulu literature and demonstrate how the drama series in the post-apartheid context not only retrospectively reviews and dispels received meanings, but also offers fresh, new readings in line with the socio-economic and political realities of post-apartheid, African society. These themes are forced marriage, youth migration and music. Within these broad, thematic categories are other sub-themes such as love triangles, economic marginalisation and popular culture that underscore this intertextuality and at the same time help generate a freshness and newness. I will focus on Gaz’ Lam I since the themes developed in subsequent seasons of the series were further explorations of those introduced in this first series.