NHIMBE’S Children in Theatre & Television (CiTT) graduates turn professional
Since the launch of Nhimbe Trust’s Children in Theatre and Television programme (CITT), many of its graduates have turned professional in theatre, film and media-related fields both in Zimbabwe and internationally.
In 2022 CITT provided training to 20 students (on a gender ratio of 50:50). The students are drawn from high schools and youth centres in Bulawayo.
We celebrate our award-winning graduates who have started to provide a pipeline of entry opportunities for other CITT graduates. Some of these are:
JOHN MABUYANE
After graduating from CITT, the multi-faceted young filmmaker, screenwriter, director, acting coach and now producer made headlines soon after the COVID-induced lockdowns were eased, when he opened theatre doors in Zimbabwe with his one-hander stage play at Intwasa Arts Festival 2020, entitled ‘Dick Print’ which addressed issues of toxic masculinity. He went on to grab a role in a National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) award-winning Nelned production, ‘Poor Cousins’, ‘The story of Nehanda’, and the international award-winning film ‘Gonarezhou: The Movie’. For 4 seasons, he was part of the main cast on the popular and NAMA-nominated telenovela ‘Tangled.’
He founded John Mabuyane Films, and his short film ‘Scars/Amanxeba’ won the award for Best Short Film at the 2020 Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards, and was later adapted for 3KTV which won the RoilBAA for Best Television Production, and shown for 3 solid seasons. In 2023 ‘Amanxeba’ won 4 awards at the Zimbabwe Annual Film and Television Awards for Most Popular television drama, Outstanding editing for TV drama, Outstanding director for TV drama, Outstanding Television Actress. In the same month th series won best television production at the Bulawayo Arts Awards and was screened on 3Ktv Zimbabwe on DStv channel 293.
More recently he produced and directed the hard-hitting coming-of-age series "A High School Diary" screened on series was screened weekly on NRTV Channel 288 on Dstv Zimbabwe.
Mabuyane also produced a docu-series "Mother Nurture" for NRTV, and a short film on toxic ‘Masculinity’ for Art of Health Zim. In 2021 he acted in the play by LadyTshawe, ‘Kumnyama’.
He has proven to be a force to reckon with, proving that Bulawayo is indeed an arts hub. John now works with young artists as a trainer and mentor.
PRIDE MUJOLI
After graduating from CITT, Pride founded Yellow World at the age of 17, a youth-led organisation whose main objective is to increase the participation of young people living in less resourceful communities. Yellow World’s Key to the City project aims to increase youth participation and safety of youth in the society through digital literacy.
Activities include small film festivals in public spaces, city-level ‘alliance’ meetings between young people and stakeholders on pressing issues in the community; uncovering underground talents in music, poetry, dance and theatre, and an annual film and music school initiative ‘Herstory’ - bringing young women together to empower them with knowledge in digital skills, marketing and producing content, aimed at helping to curb social injustices that threaten women by exploitation.
In November 2023 Yellow World, supported by Dreamtown and House of Arts Association, produced ‘Tears of a daughter’, performed at Alliance Francaise de Bulawayo. In September the same partners held a peer to peer sensitization event on drugs and substance abuse, with young people at Msiteli High school, recorded by national TV.
In June the three organisations in collaboration with Rapolitics, joined the Roskilde Festival 2023 in Europe for performances and talks about creativity and artistry and how they work with it in Zimbabwe to engage young people from the informal settlements.
In 2022 the Yellow World film ‘Ikasi: The Hood’ received the National Arts Merit Award in the Screen Production Short film category. And in April was screened at the Bulawayo ‘Key To The City’ Youth Arts Festival.
Currently 75 youth are enrolled with Yellow World, including Laura Ngwenya, a graduate of Nhimbe’s Women in Theatre and Television programme (WITT).
LINOS TAPERA, DALUBUHLE MDLONGWA and TANAKA MUNYAVHI
Three filmmakers who participated in CiTT since their high school days in 2016 - Linos Tapera, Dalubuhle Mdlongwa and Tanaka Munyavhi – planned and established Jewels Embryonic Studios (JES); “inspired by the richness within humankind, and the growth and development involved in the arts and entertainment sector, realising that there are always means for creating content anytime, anywhere.”
Tapera said “We have called our program for making films using a cell phone the Phonetic Film Movement, where we write, shoot and edit using a phone, market using a phone; and generally use phones effectively as a full package for producing films. Several young people are involved in various roles, and ‘Afrodrumbass’ is being good to us helping with sound. We’ve been operating on a low budget, self-funding, improvising for venues, and involving the community, which has been helpful. We don’t have more senior theatre and film practitioners involved yet, as most people we have tried approaching didn't take the phonetic film movement seriously. But we got all the assistance from Nhimbe Trust, which we are thankful for”.
In 2021, JES presented online short films by two former participants of the CiTT programme, Joseph Kapitango’s films ‘Locadia’ and ‘Chromer’, and ‘Blasphemy Consolation’ and ‘What’s Trending’, written and directed by Linos Tapera. Also a rapper and writer, Linos is pressing on. He said: "In the process of making, editing and writing films using a mobile phone, I have learnt that there are certain limitations in producing good quality products. My vision is bigger, I would love it if people could see the level I'm gunning for in my struggle."
“J.E.S. is an arts hub that is open for greater ideas and larger ways on development of the society, community and world at large. We believe as content creators our major goal is not just to entertain but to spark the brain that will change the world, touch souls and hearts that will forever be blessed.
