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Liberty Dube
Entertainment Correspondent
Decades after the liberation war, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique have remained all-weather friends.
Relations between the three countries have been fruitful since time immemorial.
Mozambique, even after attaining its own independence in June 1975, stood with Zimbabwe to break the shackles of colonial rule.
The neighbouring country welcomed and accommodated Zimbabwean liberation war cadres during their hour of need.
The three countries therefore have a shared history, and their camaraderie has encroached into the arts industry.
Content creators, videographers, actors and actresses from the three countries have come together to produce a potential romantic and thriller movie, ‘Comrade’, which is set to premiere on April 29.
The intriguing movie, which was shot in Kwesha Village, Honde Valley, depicts themes of love, betrayal and perseverance.
It also looks at the post-traumatic experiences encountered by liberation fighters who fought and survived during the wars of independence for the three countries.
“The main idea is to celebrate the life of liberation war veterans. They are still able to build and defend our societies. Their ideas and expertise is still of great importance, both in politics and socio-economic activities.
“With the film ‘Comrade’, we are celebrating these heroes and heroines, both living and fallen. We have one actress from Zambia (Penelope Chindolo) who played the role of Gamu. In order to relate to our neighbouring country, Zambia, we had to allow her to use Tonga and Nyanja in the dialogues,” said one of the directors, Stephen Mutsago.
Mutsago, a police officer by profession, has a decorated life in the film industry and has produced feature and short films such as ‘Ngozi’, ‘Vicious Circle’, ‘Lobengula the Godfather’ as well as a series, ‘Smoking Gun’, which was aired on local television station, ZBC.
“We chose Zambian and Mozambican actors and actresses because of the cordial relations that exist between these countries and Zimbabwe, dating back to the colonial era.
“Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have always been all-weather friends and this project is more like the incarnation of the liberation struggle. I believe that working with actors and actresses from Zambia and Mozambique will help us to up the game creatively and technically.
“We even used filming equipment from Zambia since ours was a bit outdated. Our targeted audience is the countries’ patriots, visual arts enthusiasts and those who appreciate our countries’ history and legacy,” explained Mutsago.
The head producer, Albert Charichafa, worked with Choolwe Kayumbilwa from Zambia and Enipher Murewa from Zimbabwe.
The movie was co-directed by Abel Silungwe from Zambia; while locals, Pretty Mutsago, Charity Siziba and Felix Machingambi also featured in the movie.
“In my time as a director, I feel like on ‘Comrade’ I made a giant leap creatively. The film has a great emotional impact to the audience.
“There is also a love matrix involving Gamu, (Penelope Chindolo from Zambia), (Shorai —Mitchel Rudanda from Zimbabwe) and Joe (Braun Charichafa).
“You can imagine when love has to be tried in adverse times, while a former liberation war hero, Felix, playing the role of Comrade. He uses his antics and theatrics to curb cattle rustling and other security issues,” said Mutsago.
Online Reporter