Khwezi Kreative Kulture Productions

19/03/2024

10 past 4, indlu iyawa!

Join us on Saturday the 23rd of March 2024 at 5.30pm at Word of Life Church Auditorium, for the exclusive screening of 'Knot Asunder,' a film that will have you on the edge of your seat. It's a night you won't want to miss! You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be left wanting more.

Tickets are available at the Word of Life Church offices, along 10th Avenue and Robert Mugabe way. Uyeza na? #

27/06/2023

This past Saturday we held our first workshop with the cast. You can already see the mix of talent and versatility in this group. Kusazoba lit! You ain't ready for what we are cooking! Watch the space! Dream Made Films CalvinMadulazw Rodney Mabaleka ONVI FILM & TV

27/06/2023

Do you remember this production? Remember, the magic on stage, from the moment the cast walked in, right up to the time they took their last bow! How do we even forget that atmosphere! The 800-plus seater venue packed to the rafters, the laughter as the hilarious scenes unfolded and the tear-dropping moments which left some audience members in their feels lol! All the work we put in to make the production a reality was surely worth the standing ovation at the end.

It's been more than four years, and some haven't stopped begging for a redo!

We heard you and we are back! It's bigger, it's better and this time you will watch it on the big screen! Now how is that for an encore!

Watch the space!

21/12/2022

Good morning and welcome to our chill and chat Wednesday!

Today we will just talk about the realities of being a creative in the arts industry in Zimbabwe

As the year comes to a close. I felt the need to just give a word of encouragement to creatives in the Zimbabwean industry. This industry is a tough one and certainly not for the faint hearted. So many have given out their talent and creativity and have no material possessions to show for it. Year after year, we hear stories of legends of yester year who have been reduced to paupers. This is the sad reality of our Arts industry. My post will not delve into the under funding of the industry or point fingers at who is responsible for this predicament we are faced with. This post is to encourage the creatives who, despite the painful realities of this industry , have decided to hang in there. It is a show of courage and boldness to actually stay in this industry because many have decided to hang their boots.

My heart broke one day when someone was trolling artists on twitter, how after winning awards at one ceremony, some were stranded and had no transport to go home😔. It is even more unfortunate that, an artist can be extremely good, have quite a following on the socials and even receive recognition and rewards but have an empty bank balance. This is certainly not the case with artists in other countries as their lifestyles are something that local artists can only dream of. I will not even begin to talk about how external artists have come into the country to packed halls and stadiums and apparently been paid crazy amounts, when our own get paid peanuts as curtain raisers. It goes to show that we actually need to introspect and ask ourselves if we are really not part of the problems that have ravaged this industry.

Let me not get carried away, this is not a vent post but an encouragement to the creatives that have remained true to their inner self and decided to follow their dreams. This is also to those that have to work other jobs (that they may not even like), just to be able finance their dreams and explore their creative prowess. Do not give up, stay the course.

Listen to that inner passion and voice. Be honest with yourself about who you really are and trust your strength to take you to your imagined destination. Zanna Keithely says "show up for yourself, choose the paths that feels right to you". That gift you have, that creativity you possess, that skill that you would rather hide from everyone, is actually a gift to the world. Cultivate it and when you feel ready to, share it with the world and experience the true joy of fulfillment. Trust me, there will be people who will love what you do and be inspired by you. Do not be discouraged, believe in yourself even when the odds are stacked against you. One day, through that resilience, boldness and courage you will make it.

I trust this will keep you going and spur you on to take your next step.

Happy Wednesday from us at Khwezi Kreative Kulture Productions

01/12/2022

30/11/2022

Today for our Chill and Chat Wednesday we are throwing it back a lil bit. Taking you back to the COVID times when there was so much uncertainty and fear. This was my own crazy way of coping 🤣. I can literally feel the anxiety from how all over the place my thoughts were. Writing is just a good way to cope and wade through tough times. From the looks ofit when I wrote this article house chores were showing me flames. Here goes😉!

Something to laugh about during these trying times. Word of Caution, its long lols.

The Art Of Ukuchaya Impahla

Covid 19 is all we have been hearing about for the past two months. It has brought about sadness☹, thoughts of despair and fear and in others it reignited their faith in God. It has definitely been a trying time, but for once this post is not about that gloom.

This is the point where the train just leaves the railway line ingene iganga. If you are in Zimbabwe, I am pretty sure you are familiar with everything around you just diverting almost all the time and never following the set route lol. We have seen it all mos, the whole economy ihlanhlatha iganga , never giving us a chance to at least enjoy the fruits of our many years of toiling at school😫. Kodwa ke, angikho lapho namhlanje. As you can see, my brain keeps taking unplanned “shot lefts”, asazi kumbe it’s a coping mechanism from all that’s happening. Could it be that this post is another one of my twisted ways of coping with this distressing reality we are faced with? Asazi 🤷But it’s a post nonetheless and its not a serious one, “its not that deep” as some say in sosho 😉 (social media).

The lockdown made me revert to full time house wifing, something I last did about eight years ago. Yes! I am that girl and I am not ashamed of it. Now get it right, I am not talking about that house wifing where the helper has gone away for the weekend or for the December holidays. Neither am I talking about the house wifing where you have siblings around to assist you with the chores, nope leyo layo kayitshayi. I am talking about the full bouquet mntase, the whole shebang! The real makoya full house wifing where everything rises and falls squarely on you lidashipu. (if you don’t get this, it’s okay... its not that deep). However this is not a post about me justifying why I haven’t “house-wifed” in such a long time, ill let you jump into your own conclusion in that matter madam gazelle kk. Anyway back to why am here (eish the diverting is real mos, do you blame me thoug🤣🤣), the art of ukuchaya!

So with the lockdown happening, it was prudent to let my stay-in helper go back to her home , to check on her family. Consequently, that left “yours truly” facing the music. It wasn’t that difficult to be honest, I jumped right into it and adjusted like it was my second nature, yep that’s me! okay fine, I am lying😏. BAFETHU!!! Uyayazi I fulltime work with no pay, sowake watshaya iztina my guy?. Kuyahanjwa Joe. My body went into shock and I developed boils (dedesaring much) Ngapha I house work layo lokhe isithi “Yesi Dali!😊” , this was coupled with two noisy , cartoon loving little human beings whose main activity of the day is eating every hour on the hour njenge news ze radio(I wouldn’t trade them for anything though). Even my twenty-three years of wifely grooming never prepared me for this lolest. Hawu phela thina girls we are prepared from the day we are born to wife. From the day we are born sesithontiselwa uchago in unsaid places so that singabi yizeqamgwaqo (faithful wife)! Even the day you learn how to sit usuhlanganiswa inyawo ukuze ufunde ukuhlala kahle, ungatshonisi ilanga (decent wife), should I go deeper😂😂😂😂. Okay tbh I am not sure about the latter (eyokuhlaganisa inyawo) I think it’s just my imagination doing a high jump, I doubt it’s even legal to do that to an infant hahahaha.

So anyway, after my helper’s departure, without much of a choice I had to find myself adjusting quickly, planning and mentally developing clear routines and feeding timetables right up to the number of snacks per day. In the midst of all that I noticed a very interesting development, I have changed! This girl has changed, isn’t that amazing! So here is the change, I now enjoy doing the laundry more than ironing (Ta daaaa). Quite an interesting turn of events because I have always preferred ironing to doing the laundry. Vele vele eqinisweni, there is two types of women, iteam yewashen le team yoku ayina. Very rarely do you find people that fit into both categories and enjoy both activities with an equal amount of vigor and intensity. If you happen to be that girl that belongs to that 1% very rare, very can’t get can’t thola group, Eish ngiyakuhlonipha girl, isicoco kuwe, you deserve a mbongi eyabe ikuhaya usiya Chaya! Wena we washen, wena we steam iron le ironing board! Ama gwebu lama pegs kuwe girlz!, All hail your washen and ironingness! Makhosi! 🍷🍷

Anyway now that I have rendered honour and respect to where is it due am going back to isiqokoqela sendaba. So, my new found love may have been motivated by a number of factors. I strongly believe that the water shedding program played a major role in this change. The 96 hour (or is it 108hour), water shedding program means we only get water on select days of the week. This means all the other days we have to survive on water stored in containers. Laundry experts know very well that doing laundry before water comes back is tantamount to a su***de mission. Unless you have a borehole in your backyard as a fall back plan, kuyabe sokuphelile ngawe. (Ndiwe uyo ! to the sbhorane). Secondly, this change could have been motivated by my over active medulla oblangata 🙊 I believe my brain kind of readjusted and recategorised laundry as a non-negotiable chore. You know there are those chores that you can conveniently forget, meander around or postpone. I am guessing my brain just said “laundry bruh, lawe uyabona isimo sibi 🤔, woza ngapha!” so yah, there followed my loyal body. (I am however glad my body doesn’t always follow what my brain thinks ngoba yey, as you can see , panebasa apa, asante sana, goodnight).

My new found love for doing laundry obviously meant my ex love (ironing) had to go. Sad moment because I enjoyed ironing. I am not a ‘pet peavey’ kind of person (as evidenced by my horrible punctuation and spell checking), however when it comes to ironing I have a clear protocol (ahem, fall in love with gugul). Let me indulge you and give you a small example, if it’s a shirt you have to start with the back and then you glide to the shoulders so that you resist the temptation of putting a mqolo on the shoulders when you get to the point of ironing the sleeve. I break into hives when I see a shirt shoulder with a mqolo😬 (as you can see my body has makhiwa tendencies with these boils & hives). Here is a crazy fact though, I hate ironing boards. I just can’t seem to function properly when using an ironing board. I am that girl who takes that old bhayana from nineteen ntolo ntolo , fold it into a square (for that stifi stifi effect) , then top up the master piece with a Zambia. I then sit flat on my blessed behind and attack the washen k*k. (lokshin culture). Are you seriously still reading this piece 😂😂😂, lalela you are my kin, me and you twogera, we have ‘lerato la dintho’ va!

Angilahlekanga, shot lefts are good for the soul. So doing laundry meant that I have to go and yanika (did I get that right🤔?, I hope so). I am that girl who does the laundry indoors and wears the sunhat when going to hang it. Why? I said it earlier wani🤷‍♀️ makhiwa tendencies, heat rash things yada yada , into ezinjalo🙄.

So just like my mama taught me, there is an art to ukuchaya. You don’t just get there and start with isokisi, then I tshirt and then I bhurugwe ubusufaka i undy. Akuqalwa! that is a crime tantamount to high treason, punishable by death. Okay death is rather grotesque (ngithe dlala no Gugul) . But still bafethu, come on! At least respect your clothes enough to Chaya them in a respectable order.🤷‍♀️

So, this is where the creativity is revealed, its an art lento ungayideleli. Make no mistake, the art doesn’t start on the washing line susiya Chaya , no ! the art starts right at the beginning , when you sort the laundry, where you separate the whites from the colours, the shirts from the Tshirts, the denims from the trousers and you tie the matching socks together (only gurus will grasp the significance of this one). The moment you fail this bit, sudlise iteam, bhora musango, vele sokuyi mvengemvenge, ingxabangxoza🤦‍♀️ It follows therefore that if you start the process right you are well on your way to making a master piece. I said well on your way, I didn’t say uyabe suyisikhokho, beka iphapho phans😒. So after sorting obviously iskill sokutshuka is of paramount importance (ereng gugul mo ngwaneng?), I will not delve into that bit except to advise that if your hands have makhiwa tendencies , mmmh kubi, sorry kuwena lovie. At this point you have to summon your inner lokshin Lorraine to come and do the things that made the pots to happen.
After washing, sorting is still important. Obviously rinsing twice or even thrice is imperative arawise nxa lowo mqondo wokuhlambulula ungakufikeli naturally, just stay away from the whole process, I repeat stay away! you are a disgrace to the art of I washen! Right! your sorting prowess should come to the fore after rinsing, what goes into the bucket or dish (which ever you are using) first will ultimately be the last on the line, so order comrade and withdraw delela at that point. A qualification in strategic management will help you determine whether you apply a defensive, offensive, flanking or guerilla strategy. Obviously, we will not waste time explaining such simple strategies. Personally, I first make sure the whites are in their own bucket to avoid staining and even in there, they are sorted in order of size. Also, there should be a bucket for your denims, we love those bafethu but they are a horror in the laundry room, they shouldn’t mix with any other colour. (For the same reason the whites are separated, duh🙄). Sorting the rest of the clothes should be a breeze, common sense will detect that you sort according to type as well as size, (shirts, dresses, trousers, tshirts) but ke if you are OCD singakuthini, you can sort by colour or alphabetical order dali, kukuwe, the football is in your court😏. Now comes the main event, the revelation of your creativity or the lack thereof - the washing line. This is the point where history is made, where we create the master piece. At this point it should be easy peasy lemon squeezy (like my daughter would say), hang them mntakababa, show them what you are made of. Like Michelangelo sculpt your artwork, weave that symphony as if you are Mozart, this is what you have been working on all along, skaba Hemisa, Skaba fa chance!! Chaya!! ✊

Sidenote however, how you apply your pegsing skills is a huge part of the whole art. If after washing your clothes with so much love and attention to detail, you then get to the washing line and peg shirts by the starched collars (creating indlebe, an ironing nightmare🤦‍♀️) or T-shirts by their ends or the shoulders (resulting in impondo on the shoulders or that hideous assymetry), eish I only have a few words for you. You are a conflicted being, you have issues and you need therapy. 🤯

If you have observed all the nuances of this art then I guess it’s time to take a few steps back and look at the work of art you have created. You my sister, you my brother are a CHAMPION! You have mastered the art of UKUCHAYA!! (bam bam baaaa🎺🎺🥁🎹…standing ovation 👏👏)

The End

Written by Ntombie Buhlungu
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The Art Of Ukuchaya Impahla Covid 19 is all we have been hearing about for the past two months. It has brought about sadness ☹ , thought...

30/11/2022

Happy Wednesday. It's Khwezi Khona day . Are you ready for today's post?

25/11/2022

Good morning on this bright and early Friday. We are so excited about this project. The time has come to take things to a whole new level. Calling on all those that want to turn the world upside down, its time to rise up and make an impact. Roman 8 vs. 19 says "The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God." The time is now, lets get the word out there!

24/11/2022

As promised, we are still on the thread of sharing “On set and Behind the Scenes Nuggets” for creatives who are in the film industry. So today we will share on "DE-ROLING"

A few days ago I was having a chat with fellow creatives about getting into character. I found the discussion quite interesting because it coincides with our previous Khwezi Khona post. However, one interesting point that then came up was how it is just as important to "Get into" character as it to “Get out” of character. Getting out of character after performing is called de-roling.

You are probably wondering why it is important. As highlighted last week, in order for an actor to effectively deliver on their performance, they should connect with the character. This means stepping into the character's world, their shoes and connecting with the emotions. It is understanding what makes that character tick. What is their goal in the story, how they intend to achieve it and what are the barriers of getting there. I always imagine it as a "a day in the life of ..." scenario where you step out of yourself and live in your character’s world for a particular length of time. Any actor who nails their character is every writer's answered prayer. There is nothing as fulfilling as creating a character on paper and then seeing an actor literally breathe life into it. It's an amazing experience. One author whose book was adopted into a telenovela even went as far as using one actor (who nailed her character) as her muse. This makes a lot of sense to me as a writer because when an actor nails your character, you feel like a scientist that created an interactive AI robot . Fulfilling doesn’t even begin to describe it.

In light of the above, one would assume that as soon as an actor is off set they have automatically disconnected from the character. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that. It takes the same amount of time, (if not more) for an actor to disconnect from their character as it does to connect to it.

"Is it even necessary to disconnect from an on screen/on stage character?". Yes, it is very important, probably more than it is to connect to the character. As mentioned last week, every character goes through a journey in pursuit of a particular goal. The writer's aim is to put as many obstacles as possible on the character's path to reaching that goal. This means that the character will go through a physical, mental and emotional roller coaster as they pursue their goal. So, if the actor is well connected, they will experience each and every emotion that their character experiences. That on its own has an impact on the mental and emotional well-being of the actor. Imagine the mental demand for an actor who has to deliver a villainous character, a dark character or a mentally unstable character. This requires the actor to shift to the dark side. Mental preparation is also necessary for such roles, where one has to spend months researching, reading and watching such characters in other films. That on its own is a lot of weight placed on an actor’s mental health. One seasoned actor confessed that after she took a role of a troubled teenager, her mental health took a plunge. She claims that she started suffering from depression and didn’t know why. She was only enlightened after therapy that it was due to the trauma and mental demand of her onscreen character.

I suppose the next question then becomes, how does one de-role. Below are a number of ways you could de-role, however this list is not exhaustive.

1. Remove costume, make up and any character marks.
The first thing is to remove anything that defines your character physically. This includes clothes, wigs, makeup, tattoos or jewelry That way your brain can register that you are stepping out of a particular world. This can be done even in Indie productions where you may be volunteering you own wardrobe. You just have to make a clear distinction between work and home clothes.

2. Wind down
Find a routine that helps you redirect your thoughts for instance taking a walk, exercising, sitting in a quiet room and refocusing your thoughts.

3. Playing music
Some characters play music to get into character. You can also create a playlist to de-role. If your character is dark and emotionally demanding, look for happy and upbeat music in order to disconnect.

4. Scents
Research says that smells can trigger emotional responses closely tied to memories, a phenomenon known as the Proust Effect. In light of that, you should have clear distinctions between your character’s scent and your personal scent. That way you can remind yourself that you have stepped out of a particular role.

5. Vacation
This is usually a good option during production breaks or at the end of production. It is a good way to refresh, rejuvenate and rest.

So, to the actors whether seasoned or new, never take de-roling for granted. Your mental health is important, guard it jealously because your on screen/on stage character depends on it.

This is me disconnecting deep in the jungles of Mashonaland East after a mentally demanding couple of months in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Y'all know the pics are click bait right lols

Article by Ntombie Buhlungu
Creative Director

24/11/2022

Good morning everyone. Due to a power outage, we couldn't post our Khwezi Khona article yesterday. So keep watch, it will be posted today!

16/11/2022

Happy Wednesday everybody! As promised, we will be using our Chill and Chat Wednesday segment to share some interesting lessons and nuggets from Behind the Scenes! So ,this week we will chat about emotional readiness for actors.

As previously mentioned, this year I spent a considerable amount of time behind the scenes of a TV production. What I didn’t mention was, apart from that I still had to be in front of the camera as an actress. I have seen quite a number of well-known film stalwarts such as Tyler Perry and Quentin Tarantino pull this off quite amazingly. However, I wasn't aware how challenging this can be. You see, acting is complex and for one to give a moving performance, they need to connect the character emotionally. The actor needs to be able to take the audience on a journey through the highs and lows of their character as the story progresses. Sounds simple right? .. Wrong! This is the hardest part. It was even harder for me because I had to move from one emotional state behind the scenes, to a totally different one in front of the camera. For example, I could move from making silly jokes and laughing behind the scenes to a crying scene in front of the camera. As a result, settling into character would mean more than one take (every Director's nightmare). In a different setting, that would have earned me the boot because in production, time is money and you cant afford to waste it.

As such, it is imperative to be in the right emotional state before you step in front of the camera. This means finding ways of disconnecting with your own emotions. This may mean giving yourself a good amount of time alone in the dressing room (if there is one), or wherever, just quiet your mind from inhlupho zanamuhla (if you grew up in the 90s this should ring a bell). This also means separating yourself from idle chatter just before your take, so you can connect with your character. I know it sounds cliché but trust me, it works wonders.

To the actors out there, give this a try and you will be amazed by the results.

This is it from us this Wednesday! Have a lovely Wednesday and check out a pic of my disconnected self just before a take (do as I say and not as I do lol)

Article by
Ntombie Buhlungu
Creative Director

16/11/2022

Its Wednesday today and its Khwezi Khona day! Check out our Chill and Chat Wednesday in the next post!