An interview with Studio 263 director Mawuru

Zimbabwe’s longest soap opera Studio 263 turns nine this week. The production has no doubt seen its better days. The glitz and glamour that used to be its trademark are long gone. From an exodus of actors to poor quality, the production has gone through a myriad of problems.

To clarify some of the issues, reporter Silence Charumbira (SC) caught up with Godwin Mawuru (GM).

SC: Congratulations on turning nine.

GM: Oh, thanks a lot. We have come a long way and it is good we are still here today.

SC: Nine years in the industry means you have seen it all, can you elaborate on your experiences in the years gone by?

GM: It has been a difficult time for sure with numerous challenges. Similarly, we have had good and bad experiences. We were born at a difficult time in Zimbabwe apart from the HIV and Aids scourge we experienced the worst inflation which negatively impacted on the economy. In a nutshell, we had a baptism of fire. Of course, we took a two-year break but we came back because we had a committed cast even when they were not getting anything out of acting.

SC: Many-a-time Zimbabwean film fraternity has cried foul that they are not getting any support from corporates, are you any different? What has made you survive through all these years?

GM: We once partnered with some corporate entities like ZABG but the relationship came to an end with the advent of the hyperinflationary environment. But even after they departed we scrapped through and during such times we got the experience and lessons we would never have gotten from any film school.

If we could run a soap opera for five days a week then it can only get better. We are not different from any other productions in terms of lack of funding but we are, indeed, different in terms of managing to survive without the funding that any other production would require as a prerequisite.

SC: At one time your production boasted of some of the biggest names and best talent in the industry. This has since changed with many actors leaving you for various reasons. What is the major reason for the exodus?

GM: True, people left for various reasons but that should not be taken to mean we were at each other’s necks with those who left. The trading environment was not enabling for any television production for starters. Some people were in this for a living and when it did not pay they had no option but to leave.

We are aware of the need to maintain a cast especially when it is good. The public demands a good production after a hard day’s work. Something that is worth their money but sometimes we cannot avoid the inevitability of some scenarios.

What has also kept us going is the fact that Zimbabwe has a lot of stories to be told and the only people to accurately tell those stories are the Zimbabweans themselves. If there is something that we have to laugh at about us as Zimbabweans then let us laugh at ourselves in comedy. That way we are improving our own lives rather than waiting for someone who knows nothing about us to blow our own trumpet.

SC: What is the future of the Zimbabwean film industry? Do you still have space in the modern day considering the high number of satellite dishes that are now in the country?

GM: We definitely are here to stay. At one time I thought the time had come for me to step down because I felt I had done my part. I thought I had groomed the right crop to take over the production but that could not be. Even now I am grooming a new set of people that includes my son, to take over when I finally retire to take up new projects.

But for the three years that I was in South Africa lecturing film, it was at that time that I conceded that Zimbabwe has talent, even way more than South Africa. Some of my students are the ones that are doing great on the likes of Isidingo and Generations, just to mention a few. But the difference now comes in the form of resources. The whole production of Studio 263 combined is not enough to pay just one SA actor of Isidingo.

About the free to air satellite we are not really worried because what is screened there might be better quality but we are Zimbabwean. When we started with Neria the picture was not the best but Jesese Mungoshi, the lead actor, won an award ahead of the likes of Whoopi Goldberg and Leleti Khumalo who are all refined actresses.

But all because of the originality and uniqueness of the story, Jesese inspired a lot of young girls who are now in the industry today. And today we are still relevant and we still have a huge role to play.  

SC: So what is the way forward for Zimbabwean film industry to prosper?

GM: The first step is dialogue. Filmmakers have to educate potential sponsors when they engage them. They must instill belief in them and that is the only way they are going to prosper. 

SC: So are you playing your part or you are just cry babies?

GM: We are playing our part but the corporate world must in turn see the potential in us to sell their products. Just like we worked with ZABG and PSI Zimbabwe before, they must know that any brand that can be promoted can be used. We have set up a foundation and what is left is for others to emulate. The Sunday Mail