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While the city’s contribution on the big screen has been negligible, with its notable achievements back in the 1980s, the same cannot be said of the artistic and cultural nourishment that the city has provided to citizens on the small screen.
From the drama Stitsha, that saw a dazzling display from the late Beatar Mangethe who, at that point barely out of her teens, was already approaching the peak of her potential. The television drama vividly captured the travails of women who still struggle to gain the recognition that their hard work warrants. It showed the tug of war that is still taking place between the traditional patriarchal values of society and the modern era in which women are encouraged to be as ambitious as their male counterparts.
It was a role expertly played by Mangethe despite its enormity. Indeed the rest of the cast also did a sterling job bringing out what many women usually come face to face with but very few have the audacity to speak out. Thus the film gave a voice to the unspoken, as the gender dynamics in society were laid bare.
Works from Amakhosi did not stop there with Mangethe again displaying her full potential in her role as Hlengiwe in the drama Hlengiwe Mtanami which illustrated how things could go wrong when women have to live under the oppressive foot of an alcoholic, physically abusive husband and father.
Another gem was the comedy Sinjalo, which explored the tribal dynamics in post independence Zimbabwe. The show expertly explored the relationship between the country’s two main tribal groups and showed how a spirit of brotherhood can triumph over petty tribal tensions. The ease with which a sensitive topic was tackled was in itself an achievement. Potential hazards were expertly sidestepped and instead of blowing up in their faces the film had Zimbabweans laughing at their own little prejudices and showed how a better future was possible if respect and appreciation of each other’s cultures was observed.
Despite all these glittering achievements that mark the city’s TV history, 2012 has been a bleak year for the film sector in the city, with no landmark projects. As the year draws to a close, there is seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel, with many of the city’s proposed productions being shelved or put off for later dates. The film Nyaminyami has been continually shelved and it does not look like it will see the light of day before the end of the year as it has been beset by teething problems.
On the big screen there has not been anything of note to report as well, which is not surprising as this is a department that the city has generally been found wanting in the past. The city’s considerable acting talent is thus lying idle, with aspiring actors now confined to theatre roles. While theatre is the cradle of all acting, the prestige that comes with getting a television role cannot be denied, and the malaise in the film sector this year cannot be good. Amakhosi director and the doyen of film making in the city, Cont Mhlanga, believes that the poor performance by the Bulawayo film sector over the past year is as a result of amateurish approach by the city’s film makers. He also blamed individuals masquerading as experts in the field when they themselves have negligible knowledge of the subject. This he believes drags the name of the sector through the mud, discouraging possible funding.
“The reason for the poor state of filmmaking in the city is the fact that there is a lot of amateurish behaviour from many that are in the industry. There is a distinct lack of cohesion and professional approach. We have people going around claiming to be experts when they themselves have very little knowledge of the arts sector. A serious investor is discouraged from investing in the sector as long as such elements claim to be experts,” he said.
Mhlanga said the lack of financial assistance from the Government and the lack of a recognised film authority have also contributed to the poor growth of the country’s film sector.
“The lack of proper industry standards that film makers have to observe has also been a thorn in the flesh for the film industry,” he said.
Raisedon Baya said lack of avenues for training for aspiring actors and film-makers has also impacted negatively on the sector. He said that judging from the quantity of productions on local television the standards in the city have dropped. Baya said that the city’s woes are not a recent phenomenon, but instead traces the rot to the past decade when Bulawayo’s contribution to the industry has steadily declined.
“I think the standards have gone down and nothing of significance has happened over the last decade. We do not have training schools for artistes and we have a lot of people who are self-trained and the low standards arising from that speak for themselves,” he said.
Baya said in order to attract funding, filmmakers should tailor their products to the standards desired by potential investors.
“I believe corporate funding will only avail itself if we present the corporate world with a product that they can identify with,” he said.
Stitsha was a beautiful play with a poignant ending that was marked by the death of Mopho, one of the drama’s main protagonists. It was a tragic and heartbreaking end to a spellbinding show that had kept viewers on the tenterhooks as it took through the maze of soured family relations. The end was a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Bulawayo theatre lovers will hope that Mopho’s fate also does not befall the Bulawayo film industry.
Online Reporter