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Bruce Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
ONCE the country’s centre of cultural excellence, Bulawayo has down the years produced some of the most talented actors portraying the most memorable characters to grace the country’s screens.
Though the city’s sons and daughters have contributed some noteworthy performances to the big screen, it is on the small screen where their impact was keenly felt, thrilling viewers with many a heart-warming performance. Taking a trip down memory lane, one will find excellent small screen contributions from some of the city’s yesteryear stars whose exploits are now the stuff of legend.

Who can forget Beatar Mangethe as the irrepressible Thuli in the riveting Stitsha? Her portrayal of the rebellious female performer prepared to go against her brother and society’s repressive conventions was groundbreaking as it was impressive, with the then young Mangethe carrying the lead role with aplomb.

Who can also forget the late Mackay Tickeys’ take on the country’s post-independence tribal dynamics on Sinjalo as one half of the humorous pair — Sakhamuzi and Folomani? The duo impressively treaded the fine line between what was offensive and entertaining, as they skillfully showed that harmony between the country’s two main tribes was possible despite lingering cultural differences.

An actor or actress is only as good as their script and in that department the city was also fully stocked. Down the years, Amakhosi Cultural Centre has turned into a factory churning out the cream of the country’s creative writers whose pens have produced some of the most impressive scripts. Cont Mhlanga and Raisedon Baya stand out as the most prominent of that bunch, with both standing at the helm of some small screen and theatre productions which are still revered not only in the country but Africa and the world at large.

With such a rich history of achievement and excellence, the city’s future should be in safe hands. After all, it is natural to assume that the younger generation would follow in the huge footprints left behind by their predecessors. Mangethe and Tickeys have passed away, while the likes of Baya and Mhlanga have taken a back seat in the past few years. One would think there would be no lack of eager hands ready to relieve them of the torch and blaze new and brighter paths for the city’s theatre and film scene.

While the emergence of the Nama award winning Qeqeshiwe Mntambo saw comparisons to Mangethe, she has been the sole bright spot in an otherwise darkened era for the city. One is left wondering where the next Cont Mhlanga or Zenzo Nyathi will come from as Bulawayo’s seemingly endless supply of superstars both behind and in front of the camera seems to have dried up, with only a trickle of new and exciting talent giving hope that things may turn for the better in future.

Mhlanga, however, believes that the problem does not lie with the lack of talent, but the dearth of platforms where the city’s prime talent can showcase its worth. In the city’s heyday, when productions from Amakhosi ruled the roost, the centre could count on the national broadcaster, ZBC, to showcase some of its works.

However, as the country’s broadcaster has lost its lustre and television stations from outside the country have gained ground, that platform has been lost thereby robbing young actors and directors of a platform to advertise their talents.

“There is a lot of talent out there but there are not enough platforms to showcase it. Things are not the same as they were in yesteryears when ZBC was at its peak but now it’s in shambles and there is no advertising to speak of. Everything has broken down since 2000 and things have just gone downhill from there,” Mhlanga said.

He believes that things would have been better if there were alternatives on offer for young actors and directors to showcase their skills. However, the decrease in popularity and demand for local shows on the country’s silver screen has also coincided with the withering popularity of the city’s theatre scene.

While in the capital, theatre audiences still attend noteworthy productions, the same cannot be said of Bulawayo where, except in festivals like Intwasa, the populace has shown apathy towards some of the city’s productions.

“The truth is that, without ZBC, there are really not many alternatives for young artistes. If there were better theatres and theatre audiences in the country then the situation would be different but that is not the case,” Mhlanga said.

He said Amakhosi was not sitting on its laurels, but was at the forefront of efforts to revive some of the structures that had collapsed. Mhlanga said that although there did not seem to be any visible outstanding talent at the moment, he had faith in what the city had to offer.

“We are working on rebuilding some of these structures and once that comes to fruition people will see what exactly Bulawayo has to offer. The talent out there is scary and once we harness it people will be able to witness this for themselves,” Mhlanga said.

The fate of the city’s small screen future seems to be tied in with that of the national broadcaster as a lack of platforms elsewhere seems to have had an adverse effect on how visible the city’s best talents are on the national stage. While theatre productions are still coming out, they have gained little to no attention in the city outside of festival performances. Although the city’s rich cultural history is highly regarded and respected, its future, it seems, is far from certain.