"My first time seeing the ocean was out of the country.I was 14 years old and an ambassador for UNICEF.On one trip we visited Greece and that`s where i went to the beach for the first time.,"recalls Jafta Mamabolo.The irony taht he,who only saw the sea for the first time in his teens,should play the lead role in a surfing movie doesn`t escape the actor best known for starring in another South African hit Jerusalema,and his role as the troubled Matthew in soapie Generations.
Mamabolo is fresh off the plane from a trip to Lagos,Nigeria,where he attended the 13th African Movie Academy Awards(AMAA).Thirteen seems to be a lucky number for the young star of Otelo Burning,which was nominated for a record 13 awards at the AMAAs,scooping two of them - Cinematography and Best Child Actor for co-star Tshepang Mohlomi,for his potrayal of Otelo`s brother Ntwe.
Mamabolo tells how seeing the ocean for the first time was a relevation,as he`d grown up in Mahaneng,a rural village near Marble Hall in Limpopo.Here it was virtually impossible for locals to take trips to the coast - all they knew about the seaside was what they saw on their television sets.If,by some stroke of fate,Mamabolo had had an upbringing near the coastline,then he would have found it a tad easier to take on his newest role.But it was in this tiny village off the beaten track that his love for acting first began to take shape.He spent nights with friends peeping through neighbours` windows trying to catch a glimpse of local drama series under the cover of darkness.He recalls his fascination with the slivers he could see,but not hear.
Early start
At just 24,Mamabolo has come a long way from Mahaneng and sneeking tv peeks through curtains.But he did start early,virtually growing up in front of the television cameras.At the tender ge of 11,after a family relocation to Johannesburg,he started out as a presenter on kids programmes such as YO!TV,Craze and The Molo Show.While attending the National School of The Arts,Mamabolo - who speaks six of the country`s 11 official languages and plans to take up a seventh this year - made his acting debut in the SABC 1 youth drama series Soul Buddyz.He later appeared as an assortment of characters in drama series The Lighthouse, Red Ribbon and Generations.His big break came in 2008 when he was cast as the young Kunene in the movie Jerusalema, a potrayal which earned him a chorus of congratulatory reviews from local movie fans and critics alike.
Variety and overcoming a challenge are aspects of key importance in his career - a sort iof a growth indicator.It is something he hopes is sufficiently demonstrated in his latest role.
"Preparing for my role as Otelo was the most intricate time i`ve ever had in preparing for a character" he stresses."I had to go from a non-starter to a sufficiently good surfer in two weeks.I also had to delve deep into complex aspects of Otelo`s personality,something which proved to be tricky at times."
Good relationships
Another aspect he considers important in the filmmaking process is nurturing of reelationships with his fellow actors, on and off set. "Ours is an industry where one works constantly with the same group of people,so its important to nurture good relationships with whomever you are engaged with on every project."Proof of this was evident in the making of Otelo Burning."I starred in a role alongside Thomas Gumede - playing Otelo`s best friend New Year, and Nolwazi Shange - playing Otelo`s love interest Dezi - in Soul City a few months before we started working on Otelo Burning.It helped that we knew each other so well before shooting,especially with Nolwazi as it made things a bit easier particularly with the romance scenes" he quips. "Sihle Xaba - who plays Mandla a seasoned surfer who introduces Otelo to surfing - is the one guy i am totally indebted to because he surfs for real and was the one to take me through the paces of learning how to surf" adds Mamabolo."And Tshepang,who plays my younger brother Ntwe,was just a blessing to have around.He is this kid with a passion for film way beyond his age."
Speaking to the rest of the Otelo Burning crew,the admiration and respect is clearly mutual.
"Jafta`s talent and commitment to his craft speak for themselves" says Xaba."Besides his constant urge to learn,he takes his preparations very seriously and it shows in all the roles he has had so far,most especially in Otelo Burning."
"There are South African actors,and there is Jafta Mamabolo" reckons Otelo Burning director Sara Blecher."In my 25 years in the television and film industry i have to come across an actor macthing Jafta`s passion and almost religious-like dedication to his craft."
For Mamabolo,dedication has benefits beyond delivering a good peformance - its about personal growth too.The biggest lesson he took away from Otelo Burning is the value of sacrifice.
"Otelo sacrifices a lot in order to become a champion surfer" he explains."He goes against his father`s wishes to go into the water.He defies his girlfriend`s objections about the dangers of surfing.Through this i learnt that sacrifice is everything if you`ve set yourself a goal to achieve in one`s life."It seems Mamabolo`s latest sacrifice is paying off finely.
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