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Talent Chimutambgi-Arts Reporter
It is exactly a year since legendary actor Lazarus Boora, known as Gringo from his drama series, passed away, and many still remember him with fond memories because of his unique talent and the way he managed to endear himself to viewers.
Boora died on November 9 last year after succumbing to stomach cancer and was buried at his rural home in Rukweza village, Nyazura, making yesterday his first death anniversary.
Filmmaker Leonard Chibamu recalled Boora, who acted as Gibbo in the play “Village Secrets” which he wrote and directed, as a fountain of wisdom who could suit any given character in a play.
Boora rose to prominence when he played the leading character in the Gringo drama series — “Gringo Ndiani 2001”, “Gringo Mari Iripi 2003” and “Gringo-Troublemaker 2013”.
In an interview, Chibamu who spoke on the sidelines of commemorating Boora’s “comedy life” yesterday said the late comedian was a special character in any play.
“Gringo or Gibbo in “Village Secrets” was a fountain of wisdom,” said Chibamu. “He had seen it all in the acting fraternity and his experience was very vital. He could work with any other character and could easily help others around him to get into the character.
“He was methodical in his act and employed dynamism in his act to give a polished performance.
‘‘Whenever l wrote a script for him, he was eager to enquire on the storyline and expectations. In some instances, he could surprise you by unique delivery as in his trending joke – ‘pawakaroora mukadzi uyu dei wakatenga imbwa’.”
Chibamu said Gringo would spice up the play with his scintillating jokes, adding that he was not expecting such flavouring in the play.
He said Gringo was a humble person who could speak his mind when done with important issues.
“When l wrote it (Village Secrets), l doubted he could deliver it, but he did with exception,” said Chibamu. “He was humble in everything though he could speak his mind in the interest of the end product. Remember, he had attained professional qualifications in acting, as such he meant to deliver his work upholding professionalism.”
Chibamu paid tribute to Gringo, adding that he was humbled to be the author and director of such a renowned comedias who would assist him with critical knowledge.
He said Gringo was a source of inspiration to people and would be greatly missed.
“Truly, it was amazing being a writer and director to such a big performer and in every essence of the production we could have many take aways from him,” he said.
“His presence on set created a euphoria and was a natural motivation to all other actors. We miss him a lot and we cherish all he taught us. We will continue to be inspired with what we learnt from him.”
Chibamu said Gringo was principled in his engagements and could deliver any script with intelligence.
“He was multi-talented as he could deliver any script with great acumen and versatility,” he said.
“In ‘Village Secrets’, l developed a completely new character for him and he performed with distinction.
“I want to acknowledge that l am not a writer who write simple and common language, but Boora would deliver the lines with brilliance. Actually, l bemoan the time he went idle when he was still fit and we missed a lot of great things from him. Nevertheless, l applaud him for the gift of being the writer of his last works.”
Online Reporter