The series tells of many powerful adventures we live through a completely different drama with Nelson Mandela. That story begins with Nelson's many personal financial difficulties. Nelson is doing the arduous task of raising funds for the African National Congress. On the other hand, Nelson is serving a life sentence on Robben Island, but his friend Oliver keeps the struggle alive abroad.
The show's claim of being the definitive Mandela story is a little over the top, but as an introduction to the man, his country and what motivated him, it's not a bad place to start.
For all of its lackluster effect as drama, Madiba does have educational value - if you don't know Mandela's story, or the history of apartheid and its fall, there are worse ways to spend six hours than watching this digest of the highlights.
Madiba is must-see television for anyone who questions the limits of human nature in pursuing a cause - in the name of freedom or even in the name of nationalism.
