The groundbreaking South African travelogue series, Breaking Down Borders Africa, has been awarded a silver international Telly Award in the Best Travel and Tourism Television Series category. The announcement was made last week as the Telly Awards celebrated their 47th year.
Also see: Botlhale Boikanyo joins ‘Breaking Down Borders Africa Tour’ Season 2
Breaking Down Borders Africa Season 1 is currently airing on SABC 1, with Season 2 set to begin production in Spring 2026, featuring a new host, Botlhale Boikanyo.
Paul Modjadji, the show’s host and producer, based in New York, stated that it was a tremendous honour for the team to receive such stellar recognition.
He added, “The Telly Awards are the world’s largest honour recognising video and television across all screens. The fact that a modest production shot on a shoestring budget could earn international acclaim is a testament to the power of African stories and the capabilities of our continent. Breaking Down Borders Season 1 was a celebration of Africa and its dance and youth culture.”
Breaking Down Borders gets more nominations
The series was also nominated for a National Arts and Culture Award (NACA) in the Best TV Documentary Series category at the 2025 Department of Arts and Culture awards and was selected as one of the Top 6 international travel shows for the 2025 BET and Black Travel Summit’s pitch competition in Brazil.
Also see: Breaking Down Borders series nominated for prestigious award
The Telly Awards are the premier award honouring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, nearly 14,000 entries from 55 countries were submitted for the 47th Telly Awards in 2026.
The Telly Awards’ Managing Director, Amanda Needham, shared, “Video has never been more contested, more creative, or more consequential than it is right now. The Telly Awards have had a front-row seat to this industry for 47 years, and today’s entertainment is happening in multiple formats, across every screen, and at every budget level.”
Paul concluded, “Africa’s time is now. From our films, TV, music, fashion, dance, and art, the world is captivated by the talent emerging from Africa. It is wonderful to be part of this cultural zeitgeist and to contribute to the rewriting of Africa’s narrative and potential.
Also see: Botlhale Boikanyo’s Africa Day post warms hearts
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