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Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent 

The Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards are close to the heart of actress Charlene Mangweni as she emceed at the inaugural ceremony and has been nominated for this year’s edition.

Mangweni is nominated in the Outstanding Theatre Actress category, something she describes as very special.

“During the inaugural awards ceremony, I was one of the emcees which was an honour. Now I’m nominated and I’m extremely honoured to be recognised in my hometown. 

“It means a lot when you come from such a talented city and find your name among those being recognised,” said Mangweni who is nominated for her role in the Ukama production.

 The actress had a good year last year as she won a National Arts Merit Award for Outstanding Theatre Actress.

For the RoilBAAs, Mangweni who is hopeful of landing the gong, is nominated with Charmaine Mudau, Lady Tshawe and Lynette Cheure. 

Mangweni said more should be done to empower performers, especially females. 

“The local theatre scene is small but I believe it’s growing, especially with high schools reviving their arts programmes. However, I think more can be done to support theatre financially as the lack of funding has stalled a lot productions,” she said.