AT HOME WITH NGUZU'S MAI GURU: Wanga Zulu has been in the film industry for over 15 years

PLAYING mai guru (first wife), a mother figure to her husband’s other five wives, was not going to be a challenge for Wanga Zulu, alias Junza, who has done TV series and commercials for over 15 years.

Yes! She has literally seen it all in the Zambian film industry.

We caught up with the 46-year-old actress and mother of five and she did not shy away from letting us in, on her journey in the film industry.

“Before I joined the film industry, I used to be a teacher at a family owned school in Mazabuka,” she says.

Wanga signed up for her first TV series, Brothers, in 2003. Thereafter she featured in a number of movies – both drama and series, adverts and musical videos.

“I have previously worked in productions such as Hopes and Dreams which aired on M-Net, and done a number of movies with Mingeli Palata such as Maliposa, Not My Family and even Foolish Me,” she says.

“So, yes, I have been around where film and acting is concerned,” she adds.  

Her journey in the film industry can be traced as far back as 2003 when she first enrolled at Henry Kapoko’s Media House for a film training course.

“I trained there for three years and in the process, I featured in two productions, one of which was Hopes and Dreams,” she says.

She then later responded to a MUVI TV advert for the Brothers series, ‘lo and behold’, she was picked for the main character of Lindiwe Mawele, a role she was to execute with excellence, earning the moniker Mrs Mawele.

The years of acting and doing radio drama for BBC were apparently preparing her for a bigger role of mai guru in Mpala, Zambezi Magic’s drama series in which she features as the first of Nguzu’s six wives.

“When we were working on Zed Man, Frank Sibbuku and Henry Joe Sakala told me about this new and big thing coming in the name of Mpali. I was excited and in no time, I was signed up for it,”she says.

What’s even better is that she was asked to recommend someone that was going to play the role of Nguzu - within a blink of an air, she recommended Monde Mutale, who also happens to be her husband's cousin.

“It wasn’t easy for him at first because he was just debuting in the industry. But with time, he has gone on to nail the role without any difficulties,”she says.

Born in Mazabuka on April 1, 1974, Wanga is married to Daniel Mutale with whom she has two children.

“I also have three other children from my previous marriage with my late husband Felix Ntokota,”she says.

Ironically, none of her children are into acting but she stresses that they have been very supportive of her acting career.

“The time I quit teaching to join acting, it wasn’t easy. My husband would always discourage and ask me to quit because it was not paying. I couldn’t stop because of the passion I had for it. But I am glad that my family is very supportive of me now, albeit it is because they have seen what it has done for us,” she says.

Having been in the industry for a long time, Wanga says the coming of Zambezi Magic in the fold has been life changing to many industry players.

“The journey has been really great now. Of course there will be ups and downs here and there, but look at us now. We are where we are today because of game changers such as Zambezi Magic. The film industry is today a lucrative industry so much that almost everyone can now drive, build and live a comfortable life off film,” she says.

She says playing the role of Mai Guru has been very thrilling much as she doesn’t fancy the role in real life.

“Of course, no one would like to share their husband. But it has been really fun looking at where we are coming from,” she says. 

She adds: “We relate very well with everyone on and off the set, We are like one big family.”

Wanga owes it all to Zambezi Magic for changing the landscape of the film industry in Zambia.

“Before they came on board, most people and actors never used to get paid for what they do. Mostly, it was just about providing content and it ends there. But since the emergence of Zambezi Magic, that has started to fade off, we are seeing actors and content providers being appreciated more for what they do,” she says.

Wanga went to Kaonga primary and Mazabuka Girls secondary schools in Mazabuka. Mpali airs on Zambezi Magic every Monday to Thursday at 20:30 hours.

IN CONVERSATION WITH SINGER, SONGWRITER SCARLET: she is back in the studio after taking a break

AFTER being quiet musically for a while, singer and songwriter Scarlet announced her comeback at the start of the year.

The Munisungile Banja singer recently featured on Radio Phoenix’s programme Weekend Conversations with Mumba where she opened up, giving listeners the chance to get to know what she has been through.

But first it was about music.

“I love music, music is something that has always been in my life,” Scarlet, who was born Jemimah Lerato Chulu, said.

“This is something that I really loved doing and maybe giving up on it wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

Scarlet is back in the studio working on an album titled Finding My Way.

“I am actually a big planner,” she said. “Before the coronavirus, I sat down with my best friend and literally planned my shows for the whole year. There was supposed to be a show every three weeks, there was supposed to be one in September, October, November and another one at the end of the year in December where I wanted to feature a bunch of other artistes.

“I just can’t pull them off right now because I won’t fill the room because now we are social-distancing. So, it doesn’t make sense for me to do that now, I am kind of held back and when it comes to shows, I am waiting for the world to open, but they are already planned.”

She said her album will be produced by Lazarous Zulu, her long-time music director who has been part of everything she has done the past decade.

“We’re going to work with other people as well,” she said. “Yes album, yes shows, yes videos!”

Scarlet named some of the songs on the album as Ilyashi, Ulipo, Find Your Way and K10 (Stella’s Song), among others.

The theme is around inspiration and self-discovery. “It’s basically about finding my way with love, family, myself and getting to a certain level of acceptance,” she said

Her next album after this will be called something else but will be a continuation on the one she is currently working on.

Ulipo was the first single she released this year. “I wrote it in 2015 and was just sitting on it. I have a lot of material that I was just sitting on,” she said. Ilyashi was also written in 2011. Apparently, Scarlet has a lot of unrecorded songs.

“These are like really old songs but never pushed or promoted and Ilyashi is one of those old songs that was initially recorded with Taz at Goemi Records and the original featured Samba but got lost when the studio was robbed and never really had the time to re-do it,” she said.

“Otherwise, it is basically talking about people’s marriages falling apart. I think all of us have experienced and seen a lot of stuff in homes. I am not married but some of us have experienced certain things in homes and this is just a song that we wrote as a scenario that many people have probably seen, maybe not as strong as this one.

“To have it come out nine years later and people still love it, is why I love doing what I do.”

The other song is K10 (Stellas Song), which she says is close to her heart. It is inspired by late Lilly T’s Mvela Mwana and features her late grandmother.

“When I started playing around the title, it was about money,” she shared. “I wanted to write a song that would encourage people not to complain about the fact that they don’t have money. So, I drew a lot of inspiration from Lily T’s song because the pattern of the song is similar.

“The chorus is taken from a conversation I had with my late grandmother when I was in the depth of my depression.

I wanted it to be about money, but it ended up being about dreams and being grateful – but the video is totally going to be about a K10.”

Did she say depression? Yes, fortunately, she overcame it.

Scarlet is also able to share how to overcome depression. “Everyone’s say is valid, but you also have to understand that everyone’s situation is unique to them,” she said.

“Don’t tell people that they should be grateful with what they have and how they should pray about it, don’t do that. I think it’s extremely insensitive to do that.

“I think talking to somebody helps. Therapy helped me and to others medication is the one that can help. But as far as I am concerned, getting out of it is entirely dependent on oneself. For me, I have an amazing therapist.”

Scarlet describes her music journey as very enlightening so far. “I think I have a lot about myself, people, music and I knew absolutely nothing about music before this,” she said.

“I still know very little, but I have realised that when you do something you love, and you do it really well, it leads you to places and people that you’re supposed to experience or encounter in your life. To me, it opened a lot of doors and experiences that I wouldn’t have opened had I been something else.”

VICTORIA Falls reopens under the new normal, sparks excitement from members of the public

SOUTHERN province minister Edify Hamukale wrote: “I don't know why those older than me have been hiding this from all boys in Southern province. If you are dating and aiming to marry a difficult to propose girl, just take her to the Victoria Falls and propose to marry her from there.

“She will fail to say no. First of all, your shyness will disappear and she will be smiling the whole day within the fence of the falls. ...just kneel down properly and look confident, nature will do the rest for you.”

Funny as it may sound, perhaps anyone that has been there lately would agree with the provincial minister. Following its reopening by President Edgar Lungu, as expected, over 1,600 people including three foreign nationals have thronged the national heritage site which was thundering in isolation.

Make no mistake however, people are required to observe social distancing guidelines and masking up for everyone entering the site. The Victoria Falls was on March 29 this year, closed as a way of mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.

Just two days after being closed, the falls recorded its highest peak of 4289 cubic metres per second of water falling over the falls - half the record highest peak of 9436 cubic metres per second of 1958.

A new dawn came when President Lungu toured the falls last week and directed that it should be reopened to the public in order to allow businesses in the tourist capital to survive.

The move has elated many players.

The Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) which was instrumental in lobbying for the reopening of the falls says the move will go a long way in turning around the fortunes of Livingstone, whose economy is tourism dependent.

A number of tour operators in Livingstone have resorted to either laying off workers or sending them on forced leave citing loss of business due to the coronavirus.

In a space of two months alone, Bushtracks Africa laid off 60 employees while Livingstone Adventures declared 130 of its workers redundant citing the same reasons.

LTA board chairperson Rodney Sikumba who has called on tour operators to reduce their rates, says the reopening of the falls is a move in the right direction.

“Quite alright, it received a lot of mixed reactions from some sections, but for us, it is good because we are giving an opportunity to people to view the falls which are flowing with water at its peak,” he says.

Safety measures are not being taken lightly either.

The LTA in conjunction with the National Heritage and Conservation Commission (NHCC), the Livingstone City Council (LCC), the Ministry of Health and Zambia Police recently held a multi-sectoral meeting at the site to discuss and intensify safety measures to avoid a spread of the coronavirus.

It is believed that within two days of reopening, the heritage site received over 700 visitors.

“We engaged the stakeholders and resolved that everyone that will be allowed inside will have to be screened and registered in the register for easy contact tracing. We have thermometers and hand washing stations all over,” he says.

A check at the site revealed that residents, mostly families relaxing and admiring the beauty of the falls while those without recommended face masks such as cloth, surgical or N95 masks were being turned away.

“Scarves and handkerchiefs are not allowed in here,” an officer was heard telling the visitors, while asking them to buy face masks from the ticketing office.

No more than 100 people are being allowed into the falls at a time. Mr Sikumba has also appealed to locals to understand and adhere to the measures being put in place.

“We would like to believe that there will be people coming here to view the falls from other towns and in turn would want a game drive and also accommodation. So, for us, the reopening is a good thing provided people do as they are being advised,” he said.

Livingstone Public Transport Association (LPTA) chairperson Christopher Banda says the reopening of the Victoria Falls is a welcome move provided people follow the safety measures and guidelines.

He said the closure of the falls had a negative impact on drivers operating on the Victoria Falls border route. “Can you imagine that sometimes we would only load a maximum of three taxis and buses on that route? It was really bad for business but we also understood that the closure was for the good of the people,” he says.

He called on people to adhere to the social distancing guidelines set up by the Government. “That way, we will prevent the disease from coming here,” he says. Chikonka Monde who used to sell curios at the Victoria Falls and the bridge says the reopening of the falls will be a great boost to business and livelihood for him and his other colleagues.

“When it was closed, we all lost out on business and it affected our families a great deal. Right now, I am at home in Mukuni Village since there is no business at the falls and the bridge. Of course, our biggest buyers are foreigners, but this reopening will give us some breathing space to start afresh and recover losses,” he says.

Mr Monde’s views are also shared by the Victoria Falls Curio Traders Association (VFTA) chairperson Fabian Siazibola.

Mr Siazibola is happy that business will normalise following its reopening. “We are grateful to President Lungu and we shall ensure that all the regulations are upheld,” he says.

Some tour operators whose business is more than 90 percent dependent on international travelers are looking forward to the day international travel restrictions will be relaxed.