Cold Take Geeks

By Clara Mbithi

Blood Psalms is a Showmax African fantasy series full of magic, gods, calamity, death, prophecies, a couple of witches and shapeshifters, sexy emissaries to the gods, a whiff of matriarchy and a strong stench of misogyny.

The world comes to life through great writing and a top-class cast—they do the most and I’m all for it!

So, what is Blood Psalms?

In Ancient Africa, one thousand days after the fall of Atlantis, the five surviving tribes of Kemet—the Akachi, Uchawi, Chini, Ku’ua and the Great Nziwemabwe—face the end of the world. This end comes as a prophecy that will come to pass during the Princess’ 18th birthday.

The young Princess, Zazi, must save herself and her people from the end of the world, warring tribes, angry gods, and her own father.

Where Blood Psalms Excels 

This TV show gives me a Game of Thrones vibe with the drama, the intrigue, the insinuated incest, and the magic—it’s so much fun to watch! The incorporation of different African folklore and myths gives this show an advantage over your average uninspired western fantasy. I love this story! 

I also want to express my joy in the choice of languages used. The entire show is spoken in IsiZulu, Xhosa, and Sepedi. I haven’t had the pleasure of being exposed to many of the South African dialects but I do appreciate having this privilege at the moment.

When it comes to visuals, there is nothing much to say about the CGI. Like most of our African siblings, the creative department’s skill is connected to the size of your pocket. But the thing is, it’s not a huge focus of the show so, you won’t be as bothered…I won’t speak for the dragon scenes in the first episode; as far as I’m concerned, it never happened. 

The costumes are something else. I love the attention to detail when it comes to the distinct differences between these 5 tribes. 

I was so excited when I first watched the show and noticed the Egyptian vibe they chose to go with. All the deities in this story are Egyptian gods or variations of them. I don’t know how many of you out there are like me, but when I hear anything connected to the Egyptian gods my giddy meter hits the roof!

I will say one thing, this show is def, 18+. You are not prepared for the amount of nudity and sex. So, don’t watch it around kids.

A version of this article was first published on the author’s Medium page.