A Zulu-language Netflix drama is a surprise global binge-watch

0:29This message comes from Angie. State of the World from NPR, the day's most vital international stories, up close where they're happening. I'm Christine Arismeth. A new Netflix series from South Africa has become a global sensation. The Polygamist is a Zulu-language telenovela filled with betrayal, sex, secrets, and scandal, the story of a husband whose double life begins to unravel. The show has captivated viewers far beyond South Africa. In its first month, it drew more than 23 million views and landed in Netflix's top 10 in over 60 countries, including the United States. Here's more from Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg.

1:11Romora! Joe! A soap opera sizzling with secret seduction and scandal, Zule style.

1:29The polygamist, set in Johannesburg, centers on a wealthy black family, the Gomorrahs, and shows the matriarch Joyce as she tries to keep up appearances, while her businessman husband, Jonassi, sets up house with another woman.

1:48Without giving away spoilers, the 22 episodes deliver vicious catfights, fiery showdowns, homes going up in flames and enough twists to leave viewers with whiplash. And people are loving it. It also showcases a different kind of African lifestyle that viewers are not familiar with. You know, they're rich Africans. Sunyati, the Zimbabwean writer who wrote the book the show was based on, says she thinks this is one of the reasons foreign viewers are amazed by the show. Because oftentimes in media, we have one lens in which Africans are viewed. It's always the poor, struggling Africans, right? Nyati says her book struggled to gain attention when it was first published, making the Netflix adaptation a game-changer.

2:33The book, the story is told from the women's POV. The man never speaks, because we've heard men speak all our lives. She was inspired to write it after seeing a shift from traditional open polygamy to secret second families. Men will always justify why they want to have more than one wife. But I wanted to give the women a voice as to say, why would they choose this kind of setup? In South Africa, polygamy is allowed under traditional law, but not civil law. It's something the Netflix series producers know all about. It's made by two of the daughters of former president Jacob Zuma. My father is a polygamist.

3:10He had several wives. It's definitely formed part of my experience. It's formed a big chunk of my childhood. is just understanding the dynamics, being frustrated sometimes by a lot of it, but also trying to appreciate it for what it is and for the choices that people make. Gugu Zuman Kube says her dad hasn't watched the show yet, but she thinks he will eventually. She also says she hopes the show's popularity abroad will have a knock-on effect. We were completely surprised by, completely blown away, still kind of pinching ourselves at the moment as to how well it's done abroad. The attention that it's gotten, the welcome and reception that it's gotten, I think will help the entire industry and will benefit all African storytellers.

3:57The show is in the Zulu language, though it switches seamlessly between English and other languages too, which mirrors South Africa's multilingual reality. Two decades later, you still have this effect on each other? What's your secret?

4:14But it also has a dubbed version into English, which is voiced by South Africans and keeps some of the local vernacular. Foreign viewers will be introduced to common words like and the South African-wide weekend institution of and it's sparking debate in South Africa too. Not just about polygamy, but women's rights, safe sex and HIV. UNAIDS has even used the show's title character in ads urging people, don't be a genasi, keep yourself and your partners safe. And in Limpopo province here, a government campaign against gender-based violence uses the tagline, the polygamist shows fiction, gender-based violence and femicide shows consequences.

5:04Break the cycle.

5:10The polygamist mixes scandal with a sharp portrait of modern South Africa and a show built on sex and secrets is now driving some very real-life conversations. Kate Bartlett, NPR News, Johannesburg.

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