Online Reporter
Mthabisi Tshuma [email protected]
A NEW film production Ru$ambo was recently premiered with the objective of ensuring that the culture of paying the bride price lives up to expectations.
This film is titled “Ru$ambo” after the principal bride price paid by a groom’s family to the bride’s family during traditional Shona marriage (roora or lobola) negotiations in Zimbabwe.
Ru$ambo is the payment that legitimises the marriage and without this payment, the marriage is not considered valid. The film centers around this payment being stolen.
Cast pf the film includes Deborah Kabongo (Hanayashe), David Kanduna (Tomutenda), Benhilda Kandawasvika (VaTete Jesephene), Mapfumo Katsaya (Gavi), Collin Ncube (Munyuki), Talent Nyamayedenga (Nomsa), Stewart Sakarombe (Sabhuku), Everjoy Nyabasa (Sekai), Charity Dlodlo (Mama Tsungai), Hardlife Makuku (Village Thug ), Tafadzwa “Shugeta” Ben (Munyai), Pedzisayi Pedzisayi (Babamunini), Angela Zivo Gapa (The Boss) and Eddie Ndhlovu (Dr Ndhlovu).
Behind the production shot in Harare and Chitungwiza is Zivo as director and Ndhlovu as producer. Other technical directors are Andre Ndhlovu (Director of Photography & Editor), Dr Paul Kumirai (Original Score Composer), Daniel Kiwitty (Sound recordist), Joshua Cannings (Sound designer and colorist), Wilson Ali Biswell (Assistant director), Charity Mahowa-Matavo )Script supervisor), Zolile Makeleni (Production manager), Ritchie Fusire (Boom operator), Tadiwanashe Landirani (Gaffer), Tinotenda “Twellings” Manyiwo (Set Decorator), Blessed Zezai (Make up), Leona Banda (Chef), Orison Tadiwanashe Gapa and Collin Ncube (Drivers) and Production Assistants namely Atipa Makwangudze, Mollen Rakata and Tinotenda Mukwembi.
Zivo said Ru$ambo follows the journey of Hanayashe, a Shona bride whose lobola ceremony unravels into a maze of accusations and secrets when the bride price mysteriously disappears.
“With the marriage now in limbo, Hanayashe is forced to confront a painful truth: someone within her trusted circle has sabotaged her big day. To reclaim her future, she must untangle the motives of her family and close friends, exposing hidden agendas, fractured loyalties, and long-buried tensions.
“Inspired by whodunnit-style mysteries and African folktales of tricksters and betrayals, Ru$ambo transforms a seemingly straightforward theft into a gripping tale of suspicion, deception and cultural reckoning,” said Zivo.
She said when she set out to make Ru$ambo, she wasn’t simply trying to tell a whodunnit.
“I wanted to tell a distinctly Zimbabwean story that could travel. The film is rooted in the Shona roora ceremony, one of the most important cultural traditions in Zimbabwe. Too often, African stories presented internationally are framed through conflict, poverty or crisis.
“I wanted to show something different: a story that is unapologetically African in its setting and traditions, yet universally engaging through suspense, humor, family dynamics, and human relationships. By making the missing rusambo payment the central mystery, I wanted audiences to enter a cultural world they may never have experienced while recognizing emotions they already understand: love, suspicion, betrayal, ambition, loyalty and the secrets that exist within every family,” she said.
Zivo said as both a Zimbabwean and a scholar of African politics, she has spent years thinking about how Africa is represented.
“This film became an opportunity to contribute to that conversation creatively rather than academically. Instead of writing another journal article, I wanted to invite audiences into Zimbabwe through cinema.
“On a personal level, Ru$ambo also represents the realization of a lifelong dream. It is my directorial debut and a chance to demonstrate that Zimbabwean stories can be commercially entertaining, artistically ambitious and worthy of international audiences.
“I hope the film not only entertains, but also sparks curiosity about Zimbabwe, showcases the extraordinary talent of our cast and crew, and contributes in a small way to the growing global visibility of Zimbabwean cinema,” said Zivo.
She said the film is currently on the international festival circuit and will be shown on international stage.
“It will be shown in San Jose, California at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival; the Festival international du Film PanAfricain de Cannes in Cannes, France and the Bantu Film Festival in Gaborone, Botswana in October 2026.
“However we are planning for a theatrical release in Harare later this year and are in talks with a few global online platforms. So stay tuned,” she said.
As her first film production, Zivo said she is on cloud nine it smoothed out well.
“It feels surreal and intimidating at the same time. As someone who never went to film school or directed a short before, I feel like I still need to earn the recognition and respect of the industry.
“My hope is that audiences are entertained first and foremost. Beyond that, I hope Rusambo introduces people to Zimbabwean culture in a fresh way and shows that our stories can resonate with audiences anywhere in the world,” said Zivo.
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