
Another level': Richard Lukunku on Blood Psalms' creatorsRichard Lukunku who stars as Senator Jabari, weighs in on Showmax's Blood Psalms' creators. Take a look
by Alicia Naidoo
28-09-2022 14:12
in Entertainment
Richard Lukunku weighs in on Blood Psalms creators. Image: Supplied.
SAFTA and Africa Movie Academy Awards nominee Richard Lukunku weighed in on the Blood Psalms creators.
--
RICHARD LUKUNKU STARS IN BLOOD PSALMS' Actor Richard Lukunku stars as Senator Jabari, who was sent to the Akachi citadel from the mighty Great Nziwemabwe to attend the wedding of King Letsha. But also to insist that the king give back the Northern Territories. Although the two tribes are now at peace, Great Nziwemabwe will stop at nothing to take advantage of cracks in the Akachi kingdom.
Local audiences will recognise Lukunku as Detective Phaka on Mzansi Magic's crime drama Mshika-shika. He's also a familiar face for international audiences, as Joshua in the Emmy-winning Black Sails, Patrice Lumumba in The Siege of Jadotville, and Robert Sobukwe in the Black Reel-nominated Madiba.
In Blood Psalms, Lukunku stars opposite 2022 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Award and SAFTA nominee Zikhona Sodlaka (Mandisa in The Wife), who plays his mistress, Sithenjwa, who is returning to the Akachi citadel for revenge.
--
ALSO READ: Blood Psalms': Mandisa Nduna on shape-shifting misfits
Q&A WITH RICHARD LUKUNKU Tell us about your character, Senator Jabari, and his tribe, Great Nziwemabwe?
Great Nziwemabwe is like what Rome was, where Rome is the capital and the rest of the world are provinces of Rome. The southern provinces are at war and Senator Jabari is sent to come and ensure that everything runs well.
--
It's an interesting role: you know that you've got the power of the kingdom behind you. If you don't like something, you're going to say what you're going to say. If you feel disrespected by the king, you're going to exercise the power that's being given to you.
How was the shoot?
It was an amazing experience. Jahmil [XT Qubeka, the director behind South African Oscar entries Knuckle City and Sew The Winter To My Skin) gave me space to perform, to characterise, trying to get things as authentic as possible. How did these people walk? How do they talk? If you're not walking and talking like they would, you have to ask, Please, can I have another take?' It's three o'clock in the morning, but you need to get it right. Getting it right was more important than comfort.
Nobody was shooting during the pandemic. During that time, Layla [Swart, co-creator and executive producer of Blood Psalms) found the budgets that she needed to get to feed families. We were all dying; nobody had worked. But because of Layla's hard work and tenacity, she really kept us alive. Layla kept 300 families alive, you know what I mean?
What's different about Blood Psalms?
The representation is insane. A Xhosa character speaks Xhosa; a Zulu person speaks Zulu. The different African cultures are represented. Jahmil knew exactly how to represent Africa when he was writing the script and he got it one hundred percent right. But it's not just a history lesson. It's a living, breathing world that mixes many styles and ideas. Blood Psalms is authentic and also something much more. I can't wait for people to experience it.
Why should audiences watch Blood Psalms?
Everything on Blood Psalms is looking amazing. It looks unbelievable; it feels real. You feel like you are there, at that time. It's just incredible.
But that's what I expected from the best production company in South Africa right now, with the best producer and the best director. These guys are on another level, like an insane level of creativity.
ALSO READ: Blood Psalms': Get to know the horrible' Queen Assili [watch]
Are you a true Uzalo' soapie superfan? Take part in our quiz and WIN R1 000 in cash!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
14/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/02/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Helps Peter and Leonardo Dugan Complete Their Dre...
13/02/2026
Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) has provided an update on its adoption of the cloud as it continues on its journey to fully migrate to IT-based systems by 2...
13/02/2026
France T l visions has successfully launched France 2 UHD featuring Dolby Vision...
13/02/2026
Partnering with Worldwide Olympic Partner TCL, OBS deploys connected Athlete Mom...
13/02/2026
The men's figure skating long-form program is tonight, and it promises to be an exciting night for fans in the stands, fans at home, and even the production...
13/02/2026
With new partnership between the league and NBC, workflows distinguish more between live, broadcast sound
There'll be a lot new for the 75th NBA All-Star W...
13/02/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...
13/02/2026
Teradek announces the launch of RF-X Auto Switcher, a revolutionary appliance designed to deliver flawless, uncompromised signal integrity for the world's m...
13/02/2026
Globecast and Synamedia announces that Pitch International (Pitch), the leading London-based sports marketing agency, has gone live with cloud-based distributi...
13/02/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
13/02/2026
Far from the action in the snow and on the ice, the team controls the production...
13/02/2026
The Daytona 500 is called The Super Bowl of Racing for a reason. Whether it's the culmination to five days of action on the track, the sheer size and scop...
13/02/2026
For the Milano Cortina Games, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is delivering more than 6,500 hours of content, with more than 900 hours of live action, sprea...
13/02/2026
After 24-year absence, NBC Sports returns to NBA All-Star Weekend with unique ca...
13/02/2026
By Jessica Herndon
We may have just wrapped an unforgettable 2026 Sundance Film...
13/02/2026
By Jessica Herndon
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...
13/02/2026
This Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify brought together a group of podcast creat...
13/02/2026
Yesterday, Spotify and LoveShackFancy hosted a Galentine's and Gents Lunch a...
13/02/2026
The upgrade to a Project 25 network provides state agencies communicating on the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System flexibility to tailor the network to the...
13/02/2026
Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, marking a strategic expansion of its global Customer Success and IT software...
13/02/2026
Two of ES Broadcast Hire's longest-serving employees recently celebrated a decade working for the company.
Annie Breislin, Operations Manager, and Charles ...
13/02/2026
Disguise, the award-winning technology company powering global experiences, today unveils a new 8,000-square-foot office and Experience Center in Atlanta, creat...
13/02/2026
At BSC Expo 2026, Mavis announced full support for the Accsoon SeeMo series of iOS camera adapters across Mavis Camera and Mavis Monitor apps. This new integrat...
13/02/2026
Executing technically ambitious live streams, virtual productions, and immersive media today requires talent, creativity, and the right supporting technology. L...
13/02/2026
Michal Miskin-Amir, Jonathan Stanton and Bobby Bond to lead technical advances amid surge in demand for LTN's IP video transport services as satellite capac...
13/02/2026
Grass Valley, the pioneering media and entertainment technology innovator, has won a competitive NATO-wide tender to provide the new camera system for NATO'...
13/02/2026
Wireless IP intercom underpins agile, multi-location live production workflows
Digital Azul, the independent production powerhouse specialising in complex liv...
13/02/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, will unveil major new enhancements to its Actus X Intelligent Monitoring Platform at NAB Show (LiveU booth N1740), reinforcing i...
13/02/2026
Globecast, a worldwide leader in broadcast services, and leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that Pitch International (Pitch), the leadi...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
What can I watch on UKTV this week?What can I stream on U this week?
This guide highlights romantic dramas for Valentine's Day, alternative relationship t...
13/02/2026
New RT series tells stranger-than-fiction stories of Irish con artists
Swindlers airs Wednesday 18 February, 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
Swindlers, a...
12/02/2026
Chyron unveils PRIME 5.3, the latest software release of the company's powerful engine for live production graphics. PRIME 5.3 delivers the first official i...
12/02/2026
The vendor's VP of Product Management explains how quality assurance, monito...
12/02/2026
LTN announces the appointment of three experienced executives to lead its new Technology organization: Michal Miskin-Amir as EVP and Head of Technology, Jonatha...
12/02/2026
Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malays...