US actress Briana Evigan is in heaven — better known to SA as Hoedspruit.
The actress, known for her roles in the Step Up dance films, has been in Limpopo for six weeks. Since arriving in July she's danced with the locals, dined with the Shangaan royal family and learnt how to make xigugu (traditional peanut butter).
“I'm in heaven, I've never been happier. I'm in Hoedspruit and will be staying here for at least a year. It's half work, half play, and everything is so much more peaceful. I'm sitting here and watching a giraffe pass by,” Evigan said.
But Evigan isn't just in SA to watch giraffes. She's here to film a seven-part documentary series with her production company, MoveMe. The series is set to be an introduction to a feature film that she'll start filming next year. She first fell in love with Limpopo two years ago on a research trip for the feature film Charlie.
I'm in heaven, I've never been happier. I'm in Hoedspruit and will be staying here for at least a year. It's half work, half play, and everything is so much more peaceful. I'm sitting here and watching a giraffe pass by
— Briana Evigan
Evigan is set to play the lead in Charlie, with pre-production set to start in February. The film is about a woman mercenary who crosses paths with a young man working on a game reserve. The two become ensnared in the deadly poaching world.
The last stop on her research tour was Hoedspruit, which would later become the home base for her MoveMe SA initiative. The project started five years ago but Evigan said she became aware of animal abuse in tourism about eight years ago.
This was the catalyst for her initiative and since then she's been involved in non-profit efforts in Asia and Africa.
“Something happened when I returned from my first trip to Africa. I was in Uganda and I trekked with mountain gorillas. Something about the rawness of that trip and seeing very sick kids on that trip, it changed me. For two weeks I couldn't function because of what I had witnessed,” Evigan said.
Through her travels, she learnt more about animal abuse in other parts of Africa and SA that led her deeper into the antipoaching world, the ivory trade and efforts to protect South African animals and rangers.
Jabu Zwane, a businessman and associate producer of the series, grew up in Islington village close to Kruger National Park and Manyeleti Game Reserve. He said there has been a disconnect between the park and the surrounding villages and his hope is that the MoveMe SA project will integrate these worlds and create job opportunities and promote tourism in the area. “Everyone is very excited about this, we've been begging for this [project]," he said.
Evigan will be guided by the Shangaan royal family on the project on a journey that will focus on the history of their Gaza Empire, their justice system and women empowerment initiatives. Through the project she hopes to raise funds and give 50% of the series' profits to the community.
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