Telenovelas of Yesteryear

Cat fights. Magic. Drama. Despair.

All these dramatics are a part of telenovelas which have been changing the way Namibians view things since the early 2000s.

For those who have caught onto the craze from an early age, it was common to leave viewers in anticipation for the next episode after the news every day.

Uniting families – children and adults, men and women would congregate in front of their TVs in the evenings and anxiously follow the ups and downs in the lives of their favourite characters. Featuring sometimes bizarre plots which always kept viewers wanting more.

Mention the likes of Paloma, Diego and Carlos Fernando, and eyes instantly light up in rememberance of the telenovelas that once brought us so much joy. These programmes stem from the wonderful world of Latin America and because of their influence on society, they travelled across borders, seas and cultures to infiltrate the psyche of people in countries like Namibia.

To commemorate our favourite series, here’s a list of some of the most popular telenovelas from the early 2000s…

‘When You Are Mine’ is probably the most popular telenovela that ever played on Namibian television. And it was so popular in southern Africa, that Mexican actresses Sylvia Navarro and Anette Michel who played Teresa Suárez ‘The Paloma’ and Bárbara Serrano in the series came to visit Namibia as part of a tour. Who can forget the sizzling love between Diego and Paloma, and the jealousy of Fabian and Barbara who just couldn’t stand to see other people being happy? The storyline was spectacular, so much so that it definitely deserves a rewatch.

Barbarita Ruiz (played by Natalia Streignard) is a household name. It all started when she walked into a mansion and a young man fell in love with her. But a tragedy on their wedding night created a rift between Barbarita and his family, until she meets Antonio Adolfo who is supposed to make her fall in love with him, after which he abandons her. But nothing works out as it should, of course, when they realise Valentino is alive and Antonio’s former lover Alexandra wants him back, leading to love, death, laughs and misery.

A classic.

‘Passions’

Remember Tabitha, Timmy the talking doll, Ethan Crane, Julian Crane and all the weird magical stuff that used to happen in ‘Passions’? It was one of those series that you couldn’t understand, but loved to follow. In fact, the story was so complicated, it had over 2 300 episodes and nine seasons. But here’s the gist of it all: The Crane family were incredibly powerful and loved to get their way. They influenced other families in the area, not knowing that Tabitha, a 300-year-old witch, was actually in control the whole time. Complete with demonic possession, bizarre dreams, witchcraft and other forms of magic, ‘Passions’ was a special kind of soap opera.

Revenge was the name of the game in the celebrated telenovela ‘My Three Sisters’. Stemming from Venezuela, the show made its way to Namibian screens where we were so sad to see sisters Silvia, Lisa and Beatriz survive together at the hands of their brother’s wife who finds them irritating. But fate sees Lisa and a handsome architect Santiago together, but will they receive their sisters’ support especially when Santiago is supposed to marry Barbara, the daughter of his boss?

This series was definitely full of lust, passion, shirtless men and the works – viewers certainly didn’t seem to mind. Plot twist after plot twist, everyone loved to see Lisa and Santiago fight against the world to be together.

Ah, love.

But that wasn’t all. Remember ‘Passion of Hawks’ or Pasión de Gavilanes featuring the Reyes brothers who wanted revenge for their sibling Libia’s death? But in the process, they fall in love. And then there was El Cuerpo del Deseo where Pedro José Donoso marries a woman named Isabel. But Isabel marries someone else after his death, and when Pedro José’s soul returns to earth in another body, he discovers if he was truly meant to love Isabel forever or not.

Good times.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.