Former ZBC personality, Kombora takes career to new heights

Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
THERE was a time when Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) television programme, Young, Gifted and Talented (YGT) was a hit among children.

One of its presenters was Tatenda Kombora who is about to take her media career to the continent.

Kombora has been awarded a rare opportunity to be part of a virtual course on Visual and Audio Production by one of the continent’s outstanding media houses, Africa24 based in Kenya. She is among 60 young people from Africa including those from South Sudan, Nigeria and South Africa among others to be chosen for this course.

The objective of the course is to raise the next generation of African storytellers and the Bulawayo-born and bred young lady says this is an opportunity for her to show that the “kasi child can do it too”.

“It’s really a life-changing opportunity for me. It’s as if it’s a confirmation from God to continue to pursue storytelling. This is an opportunity to show the world that the kasi child can do it too. The only close experience that I had coming into this opportunity was my time as a television presenter at ZBC which meant that I could only do presenting or hosting whenever given the chance to.

“However, the course on Visual and Audio production, which is the behind-the-scenes of how productions are made, will offer me new knowledge. So, after this, it means I’ll be able to do anything that has to do with producing films, documentaries and shows. I’ll also be able to hone my in-front-of-the-screen craft, which to me, is overwhelming,” Kombora said.

The 21-year-old who is set to learn from internationally-acclaimed Austrians, documentary creator Hannes Michael Schalle and filmmaker Guenther Mitterhuber among others sees herself establishing a television show in the near future.

“My passion for objective storytelling led me to start a blog site where I currently tell the struggle of the African woman from a feministic lens. I’m working on a video podcast that will celebrate the stories of female political leaders in Zimbabwe, bringing their stories to little girls and young women to demystify the stereotypes that are attached to them.

“My vision is to have a television show with the biggest viewership in Southern Africa so this brings me one step closer to being the storyteller that I want to be,” she said. – @eMKlass_49