Original subtitles

Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!

We have just arrived in Namibia,

where our first stop is Namib-Naukluft National Park.

You trying to get picked up already?

Touch the sand.

We've come to a section known as Deadvlei.

- It's often hot. - Which is surrounded

by the highest sand dunes in the world.

It's a place where natural wonders meet.

♪ Namibia... ♪

Where the vast desert extends all the way to the ocean.

Kaav, do you love it?

Feels good, huh?

I've always wanted to do it.

Leading up to this trip,

I was coming up on my 30th anniversary

of being raped at gunpoint as a teenager.

I've always thought,

I haven't disassociated ever since.

And what I realized is that

that disassociation lasted for 30 years.

And at my super grown age, I am more fully aware

of all of the healing that needed to take place.

The continent healed and changed and freed me.

As we count down to my birthday, I feel fully alive.

I'm ready to take in all of the knowledge, happiness,

and life that the rest of my journey across Africa

still has to offer.

- Come on, Kaavi. - Ready?

♪ No matter the weather, I will be on my way ♪

We have the helicopter propellers,

and we have the plane wings.

We're gonna call it a planecopter.

Okay, Dad.

♪ We have each other ♪

♪ We will be on our way ♪

Action!

Hey, do the clap thing.

You have to clap like me and Daddy.

Clap left, clap pat.

Over there, look out there.

Let's see what animals we can see out the window.

Wow.

Daddy, look that way. Right there.

What are you excited to see today?

Octopuses?

Was there a runway?

We knew we were gonna go on safari

in Namibia.

That much was clear.

Man, yo, I'mma need you to move, you're on my side arm.

So, while we're all waiting to go,

we decided to start playing this game.

Ooh.

Who can hit this can?

And we've got macho dudes,

and everyone's got their technique.

Somebody just has to make it.

No.

Kaav, you want a turn?

You're trying to hit the can, you see it?

You get to go.

No one has hit this can.

But here comes Kaav and she's like, "What is this?"

All right. You gotta hit that can, okay?

She nails the can.

Game over. And I was like, "She's a gamer!

She's got the clutch gene."

Game over.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity

to take you on your Safari.

I'll show you Etosha National Park

which is our wildlife sanctuary and our pride as well.

People come here to do self-drive safaris,

here in Namibia.

Feel free to ask me

as many questions as you would like.

So, like, we can see the big poop,

so you know they've been here.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You can tell if it's fresh

that they've definitely been here,

marking their territory.

They are inquisitive.

Giraffe purse.

♪ Giraffe purse, giraffe purse ♪

Being able to see Kaav's eyes

taking in these majestic animals?

As a working mom, I miss a lot.

I don't get to be around when she's, like,

discovering something

or learning something for the first time.

- Do you see the ostrich? - ♪ Ostrich! ♪

Kaavi, it's right here, look.

But she's never been on safari,

so we get to have that first together.

I see it.

It was amazing to be able to watch her,

to see the pieces coming together.

And taking in these majestic animals,

it just felt more amazing than you could've ever imagined.

Ostriches take turns laying on the eggs,

or protecting the eggs each.

- Oh, they co-parent. - Yeah, co-parenting.

Hmm, it's a thing.

- Bye, friend! - Bye!

He's so lucky doing that.

Springboks travel in herds, I'd expect,

- to protect them. - Yeah.

I wanna see a lion, then get the hell out of here.

Don't be driving around, looking at that.

I don't wanna see no more springboks.

Whose is bigger though?

We're live here.

It's a tree lion.

There's ten lions underneath the tree.

It's on that tree right there?

Yes, right there.

This is what the lions do.

They just hang around at the water holes.

The water is right there.

There's, like, a host of water

that all of these animals should be drinking out of.

It's hot.

But no one's moving.

They're all eerily frozen.

The animals have walked a couple of miles to...

- G et some water. - Get some water.

Damn, so the lions are assholes.

- Its own brand. - Its own brand.

When the animals actually do come

and try and drink,

the lion's head goes up, and then it looks,

and then it goes back.

When they hunt them, they don't want them hydrated.

They want them to tire.

- It's diabolical. - Somebody the king.

Now, look at the springbok.

They are a lot more relaxed than the zebra.

If you look at the zebra, they are not eating,

they are just looking in one direction.

Remember, when they are drinking is when they're most vulnerable.

Let me tell you something, this is power.

Right.

We're watching some powerful shit right now.

Yes. Only the lion has this kind of control

whereby none of these guys will come to the water hole.

Maybe, like, they're wanting to move.

All the animals know that there are lions here.

Yeah, that's how it feels

to be one of the best in the NBA.

You feel like a lion.

Yeah, that's it. That's greatness.

The springbok knows

that he can easily get away from a lion.

Look at that brave zebra.

They're like, you about to wake him up, you fool!

Oh, what's happening?

Oh my God.

Right in the middle of all this.

- Are they mating? - Yes.

What is happening, Dad?

They are mating.

- Okay, dear. - Get your water.

Go, go, go, go, go.

He great. He wanna be great.

I'mma give my wife.

Look at the zebra.

♪ To be loved ♪

That's how you get your water.

That's how you get water.

♪ A collection of moments I'm thirsting ♪

Look!

They finally got water.

You know what? Y'all better respect the yo...

All of y'all.

♪ And we navigating ♪

I'm so proud of them.

That was a

once-in-a-lifetime safari for the ages.

♪ It's a party, it's a party ♪

That I'm glad I got to share with my four-year-old daughter.

I'm going to meet the Himba people today.

And to experience authentic, indigenous, African culture.

You see the power of family and community

and how resilient the children are.

Especially the tiny, tiny little girls

taking care of other tiny, tiny little girls

as their mothers go off and work on behalf of the tribe.

Parents, gone. The adults are gone.

And they are resilient, independent.

It took my mommy guilt away just a little bit.

A lot of blessings for you.

There are a thousand ways to exist,

and I'm going to borrow from the Himba people,

I'm gonna borrow from other tribes, other customs

that we have encountered.

And try to apply that to my own life.

And then hopefully, I'll be able to lead by example

that there is no one way to exist as a Black person

in this world.

We have arrived in Johannesburg.

I wanna know all the things,

I wanna go to restaurants, I wanna go to museums,

I wanna go shopping, I wanna meet people,

I wanna go to a club.

Whatever Johannesburg has for us, let's go.

Tracy came down the hall,

and then I was with Dwyane, and I slammed the door.

Got them.

What?

- You an actor, act. - Take two, take two.

And scene.

We now in Joburg,

- and so now we on our third? - Third.

We on our third country.

Johannesburg is also home to one of our good friends,

Pearl Thusi, fellow actress.

You might know her as Queen Sono.

She's just the homegirl,

but she said we have to go to Chef Mabaso's Les Créatifs.

I'm so excited to have you here.

More love, more blessings, more wealth, more happiness.

Their wine pairings, their champagne,

ah, you guys, get into it.

Oh, yes.

♪ Going lost, I know you will all ♪

I mean, the food is to die for.

But you guys have grown to be so world renowned.

This is just you?

But you obviously know that's unheard of.

Everywhere we go, we meet someone

who is so wildly inspiring,

but in a way that feels tangible,

where people can relate to it.

And Chef was one of those people.

Y'all mess with us, we mess with y'all, so...

'Cause we are a "we."

We are a collective "we."

We're just African people separated.

♪ Baby you be like fire Oh yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

Get the loafers, get the loafer.

Michael Jackson was on to something

back in the day, all right?

Pat Riley was on to something, my man, loafer life.

- Loafer life. - Loafer life for life.

50 is about randomly spectacular.

This is the kind of fun I wanna have.

So, we just pulled up to the club.

We ain't been out in a while because we, that's what we do.

We don't go out now that we older.

Um...

I like what you said about we're older.

Not that he's like, "And this bitch is older."

- You're like, "And we're older." - No, I'm 40, I'm older.

We're gonna die of a good time.

I actually feel centered here.

Like, we're just, I don't know.

Like, I guess that's how it's supposed to feel,

but, like, sometimes in the, in, in the States

you feel misplaced in times.

Like, you don't know where you fit.

And, like, here I feel like I fit just being, just existing.

- Just existing. - Yeah, it's a weird feeling.

It's weird 'cause, like, we're always othered.

- Like, there's no safe space. - Yeah. You're always an "other."

You are always othered, and you're like,

"I gotta figure how to fit in in this spot."

Just looking in that kitchen, like,

I've never seen a kitchen full of Black elegance and prestige.

You know what I mean? Like, the things that,

you know...

that make us proud of our people.

We represent ourselves, you know,

in so many different lights, in our uniqueness.

One of the things that I noticed about Dwyane,

by the time we got to South Africa,

I had noticed a marked change.

Just his whole vibe, his energy was just different.

I don't know what happened in the river, but something did.

The kid from the South Side of Chicago is now Kwesi Safo.

And it feels right.

It feels like him.

This has been awesome, and I know I'm gonna come back.

♪ Mama say, mama say nothing comes easy ♪

♪ Papa say, papa say nothing comes easy ♪

We knew if we went to South Africa,

we had to go to Soweto,

and we wanted to visit the Mandela home.

And we were lucky enough to be given our tour...

...by Mandela's own descendants.

And I remember when we got here,

there was, like, hundreds and hundreds of people

just lining the street for days and days,

just to get a glimpse of him.

It was important to me

for Kaav to share this experience as well,

to get an introduction to Nelson and Winnie Mandela.

Before he was arrested, this was his home for 15 years.

1946 until 1961.

Nelson Mandela meant so much

to so many people around the world.

I'm humbled to listen to personal stories

from his granddaughter's point of view.

This was our little home that we grew up in,

but it was just always filled with so much love.

My grandmother brought, like, all the love.

We call her Big Mommy, we don't even call her Grandma,

'cause that's what she was to all of us.

For us, this home obviously signifies so much

of our struggle, but also our liberation as well.

So, when my grandfather was released,

this is the first home that he came to

when he got out of prison.

Being a Mandela became popular after.

But when we growing up, like,

we were almost, like, seen as, like, persona non grata

'cause of who our grandparents were.

Did it put other people in danger

to be associated with them?

Yes, it was a risk for anyone who was associated with us.

My grandmother's own siblings

didn't even wanna associate with her

because she was too dangerous.

But it's interesting, like, when I read her letters

and the letters that my grandfather wrote at the time,

and they were writing letters to each other,

but they were not, obviously, being delivered,

this is the closest she felt to my grandfather,

because she was actually going through the same thing

that he was going through at that time.

Yeah, she sounded perfect.

Ooh, .

Yeah, I mean, that's how you see

my grandmother all the time, right?

But I think this home brings a little bit of,

like, a softer side

to, like, the fact that even in the midst of apartheid,

there was still family life.

And my grandmother, with the little that she had,

always tried to make sure that

life was as normal as possible for us.

The family unit was, like, everything to her.

This has been...

It's hard...

I'd say something beyond educational.

Yeah.

This was such a profound experience

to learn more about apartheid

and about two of the greatest leaders

humanity has ever seen.

While in Cape Town, my husband wanted

to go get tattoos.

Like, he has them everywhere.

Now, I don't even know the number .

They are just a lot of them.

And so, off we went.

In all fairness.

To be given my name, Kwesi Safo,

really meant something to me 'cause it was given to me

as someone who's a protector, you know, of his family.

Um, and I was elated, my chest out, you know,

I got up like this.

and so I wanted to kinda go and ink that now.

I wanted to go and put that

as a part of the book.

Do you have a tattoo of my name?

Can I see it?

- You excited? - I am so excited.

Let's do this, man.

I appreciate you adding to my tattoo experiences.

Wait, I'm the only one who doesn't see it.

- Come on. - Aww!

Kiss!

Peer pressure works guys.

Look what Daddy got.

He got Mommy's initials.

Dad.

Once we got to Cape Town,

we absolutely could not pass up the opportunity to go out

into wine country.

So we headed out to Franschhoek, and we were able to experience

a Black-owned wine company in post-apartheid South Africa.

Siyabonga, thank you for joining us.

She always does,

after one bottle or sometimes two,

the tongue just, like, goes.

So, this is Rodney, the winemaker, the farm manager.

- Hello, Rodney. - Welcome.

And then Paul is the owner.

Thank you, Tuanni.

Tuanni is one of those people that believed in us

from the word go.

She instantly said, "You've got my support."

And for that, my sister, we are eternally grateful,

and we are glad that you've brought

more family home.

Klein Goederust is the first 100% Black-owned farm

in Franschhoek.

Now, in 1994, when we gained our freedom

and democracy,

we got all the political freedoms,

but economically, we are still in the struggle.

Black Africans are 80%

of the population in South Africa,

yet in the wine industry, percentage of land ownership

is less than 2%.

If you grow up on a farm, as children of farm laborers,

from a very young age,

you are raised to be the next troop of labor for that farmer.

And that farmer happens to be white.

So while the white folks are talking

about inter-generational wealth, we are inter-generational labor.

We need to change the narrative.

We are dedicating a few lines of our last block on the farm,

where you guys are gonna be allowed

to plant some trees.

Wow. Let's go.

So, let's go plant.

Okay, let's go.

Now, Rodney and I discovered

when we are working on young vines,

you need delicacy.

And we had a lot of guys there,

guys are breaking the young vines.

Got a team of ladies, we had no breakages.

They are very delicate with the plant, zero wastage.

But for me, also the big thing on that

was with mothers, when they earn a salary,

they will always give three or other four family members

also food. That's what I have experienced.

So that's my passion, to work with them.

And that's how we succeed.

It's better to hire ladies than men, works.

So, as Black winemakers, we have Wade Cellars.

We wanted to connect with other Black winemakers

who innately understand the challenges

of trying to find your space

in a very white-dominated industry.

We wanted to know, "How'd you do it?"

Let's have a sharing of ideas, a sharing of resources,

a sharing of information.

And it was one of the connections that we made

that we are excited to nurture.

When in basketball, we bring it in.

All right, so, we're gonna go, "One, two, three, Black-owned."

All right, y'all ready?

One, two, three.

Black-owned!

We gotta put you to work.

Oh, I don't mind.

This is exciting.

Everybody is gonna plant one.

My family and I, we own a wine label.

But I actually have never made wine.

This was my first time actually shoveling the dirt.

- That is my spouse. Go, baby. - I need to soften the sides up

a little bit.

It's been real.

This is actually the vine.

Oh, yeah?

I'm going to work.

Being in wine country

and seeing just how challenging it is...

This is exciting.

I'm actually a terrible person if I don't do everything I can

to try to create more change.

So you have to learn how to be of service

the best way that we know how.

This is special.

- This is us. - Yeah, this is us.

Thank you for taking me here.

Thank you for creating this space for us

to be able to have moments of vulnerability

when we wanted it,

to have moments of, like, pride

and feeling royal when we needed it.

We had moments of going out, hanging out, partying

until we can't party no more.

So, I realized that you get to a point in life sometimes

when you're like, "Okay, my purpose has to be bigger."

And by coming to Africa,

you see where you can find purpose.

You see where you can add value to your people.

It's, like, startd to, like, quench that thirst

and, like, fill that drought.

And each country gave me something

that I was missing.

Everybody that's here, that's been on this journey

has gotten something away from this,

where they're going back to America,

they're not the same.

Their ideas are not the same.

Their vision for their lives and themselves are not the same.

It's a music video now.

And so I thank you because, like, evolution is important,

and you are helping us all evolve.

It's changed you.

But it's like, it was an organic change.

And it's the sexiest you've ever been.

Oh, thank you.

Watching you, uh...

Shovel? You've never seen me?

- do no work like that? - No.

I used to do that back in the day.

But I cannot wait to be able to get it,

- to taste it. - What day? What day?

Back, you've said back in the day, what day?

Well, I was shoveling a lot of things.

Snow, for sure, I grew up in Chicago.

So don't try me on camera.

We're in Zanzibar.

But I have no idea what is about to happen

with my crazy friends and family.

We're on a day trip to a private island

before my 50th birthday tomorrow.

- That's us? - That's you baby.

That looks amazing.

♪ Check this skin with the melanin feel ♪

♪ Life seem to be so damn relevant ♪

♪ Feels like, oh yeah, like, oh yeah ♪

Hello, baby.

Three, two, one!

Come on.

♪ Rise in the jungle life ♪

Seeing my closest friends and family let loose

makes me so happy that I get to share this experience with them.

♪ Gotta go through life singing in the sunshine ♪

♪ Doesn't matter your size or age ♪

♪ And if they view you a different way ♪

♪ You've got a right to rule your life ♪

Hey, hey, hey.

♪ Singing in the sunshine ♪

♪ When you're singing in the sunshine ♪

♪ You got a light for your life ♪

Oh, did I get it? Yeah, okay!

We were all incredibly blessed to have this time.

Especially me and Dwyane.

With both of our busy schedules,

we don't have enough down time with one another.

It's important for us to connect

and be in the moment like this more often.

♪ In the middle of the night ♪

♪ I'm reminiscing all the times ♪

I can't believe you're 50.

Like, you look 30, it's super annoying.

I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather be

than here with you. So, thank you.

To be able to dream of a life

and to be able to work for that life,

this is everything we wanted.

I just thank you for being all of the things

that you are for me.

I hope that I'm all the things

that I can be for you.

This last year has just been a revelation

like, realizing that something I thought I had healed from,

I had actually been disassociated from.

So I thought, I got to go back to Africa.

And I wanted to share this with everyone

as I continue on this search for what life can be

for these next 50, 60 years,

if I decolonize my mind, decenter my trauma,

and really get to know myself.

So I'm just incredibly grateful for you guys all,

for showing up.

Here is to the next 50, 60 years.

Woo hoo.

Thank you, guys. Thank you.

This is gorgeous.

Oh, beautiful.

I feel like I'm on the other side of 50 now.

You just walked.

Suddenly, I got osteoporosis.

- Hi, Mom. - Happy birthday.

Being able to experience this with my mom

has been so great for our relationship.

We've had a lot of fun times,

but this has gotta top it.

I'm grateful that

I will have these memories with her always.

I'm not one who uses clichés,

but age is just a number.

I have the same excitement for life as I did 20 years ago.

She looks better than any 50-year-old

- I've ever seen. - Yeah.

You wanna dance?

To me, 50 feels great.

One time for the one time.

We're in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

You all came around the world to be here.

And I am just filled with gratitude,

I have the best, best friends.

I have the best family, and I have the best husband.

And I can say that 'cause I had one previously,

and, um, this one, 2.0, is, uh...

is really the husband I should have had all along

We all we got. That's how we live this life.

And we keep, we, we make sure that we're all taken care of.

That's it, thank you.

So, cheers it up to yourselves.

Cheers.

Kaavia Union-Wade, I love you.

I love you.

You're my boy blue.

Your boy blue.

You want to give them some positive affirmations?

You're so beautiful and so strong,

and so healthy and worthy.

Aww.

What?

♪ Hey, ho ♪

What is happening?

I don't know. I'm about to find out.

Angie Martinez, she's been in the trenches

with me forever.

You know, Angie is just a real one.

First of all, thank you for having us all here.

I have missed every one of your birthdays with this work.

This is the first one and the best one,

I'm so happy to be here with you.

What an amazing family, group of friends.

So, I feel like I was born to do this moment right here.

- Yes, you were. - Because I was, like,

- a little Puerto Rican girl - No, no, no.

in 1984 New York growing up, and I did not feel seen

- till I saw this girl - Shut up!

- Right here. - Shut up.

For your birthday, as a surprise...

Everybody make some noise for

the legend that is Lisa Lisa!

Shut up.

Put your hands together please, ladies and gentlemen,

for Lisa Lisa.

We have tried to get her for every birthday.

How's everybody doing out there tonight?

♪ Let the beat hit 'em Let the music take control ♪

♪ The beat goes round and round and up and down and ♪

Zanzibar.

♪ Let the beat hit 'em Got to learn to let go ♪

♪ All right ♪

♪ Everybody's moving to the beat ♪

♪ The jam is pumping, got to move my feet ♪

♪ So I use the music to try and get away from the strain ♪

♪ And the pressure ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Let the beat hit 'em Got to learn to let go ♪

♪ If y'all came to party with that bitch ♪

♪ If y'all came to party with her ♪

♪ Let me hear you say, do that thing ♪

♪ Do that thing, do it ♪

♪ Do that thing, do that thing, do it ♪

♪ Let the beat hit 'em, got to learn to let go ♪

♪ That's enough ♪

Lisa Lisa.

Oh my God.

Wait Lisa, you can't leave, you can't leave, please.

Just please stay one second.

- Yes, of course. - Okay.

So, first of all, come on! Lisa Lisa!

Lisa, I tell you this all the time,

every time I see you, so you already know

that you changed my life.

You made me feel like I could do anything.

But clearly, you gave everybody so much joy.

Look at that.

- Thank you, thank you. - Pride and memories

and just happiness.

So we thank you for traveling across the world

- to be here for Gab tonight. - Yeah.

I have another favor, though, like one little thing.

Can you stay here while we sing happy birthday to her?

Oh, absolutely.

Lisa already worked enough, so we're gonna sing loud.

Happy Birthday, guys.

♪ Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday, dear Gab ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

Ah, oh my God. Wait, I gotta...

While you were up here performing,

I don't know why it didn't dawn on me.

My girlfriend Christine Martinez,

uh, she didn't make it out of her 30's,

and what we bonded over was music.

And just while you were up there performing, I was like,

"Man, she's always been here."

And I know she brought you to us.

This is just, this is, this is the moment.

When they keep saying, "What does 50 feel like?"

50 feels like gratitude, and I am so grateful.

- I am so grateful, thank you. - Thank you.

- Thank you. - Thank you so much.

You have no idea how big of a fan I am of yours.

- And I too am a cancer survivor. - Oh.

So we're here and they're here in spirit always.

- Oh my God, thank you. - God bless you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Give her a round of applause. Come on.

Oh my God. Holy fuck. That fucked me up.

I knew that we would leave the continent different,

and changed, and healed.

Happy birthday.

I thought that 50 would be this exclamation point

at the end of a very long sentence.

And after experiencing this trip,

I realized that I am reborn.

And I have so much time

to become the woman I always dreamed of.

And none of it has to look like the last 50 years.

I have been gifted the opportunity to do more.

I'm gonna try to change the lives

of as many people as possible.

And I know I can do it.

What an incredible gift.

And I would have never gotten that without this trip.

♪ Come here now ♪

Look, Daddy.