The Sunday News
Raisedon, Baya
IT is almost a month now since ZBCtv started advertising the airing of a new local drama called Insuku Zokucina. The last days.
This is a concept of mine that was developed and written for television by a friend and colleague Thabani Hilary Moyo.
We have done quite a number of projects together. You might call us collaborators.
When ZBCtv started advertising the drama we were all excited about the news such that everyone, cast and crew included, started telling friends, family and colleagues not to miss an episode.
On the day it was supposed to start showing nothing happened. Now it is almost three weeks and friends and family have started asking if the drama is really there or we are still shooting it.
The truth is the drama was part of the BAZ digitalisation project and was shot a year or so ago. All we know is it will be showing soon. How soon? Well, we know it will show before the year ends.
Wholly funded by Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) Insuku Zokucina is fairly a good story. Very interesting concept.
One might call it a religious satire as it pokes fun at prosperity prophets and churches in Africa.
At the centre of the story is a young prophet who loses his powers and respect after converting a married choir member into a girlfriend and later impregnating her, leading to serious trouble within the church.
We are excited about this project as it comes after a lot has been happening with our men of cloth and within church walls. As we write this story South Africa is in a storm.
A popular prophet and televangelist called Timothy Omotoso is on trial for raping more than two dozen young girls and keeping some of them as sex slaves.
And not so long ago we heard of church members being made to eat grass, some were tricked into eating snakes while others were sprayed with a harmful insecticide all in the name of miracles.
In Zimbabwe two of the biggest prophets have been accused of rape or some un-Godly behaviour, if we can call it that. So the play must be very relevant.
The crew and cast is actually impatiently waiting to hear how viewers receive it as a Season Two is already on the cards.
Many women who have been abused in church do not come out and tell their stories.
They bury their pain in silence and tears, afraid to upset the apple cart, afraid of attracting the wrath of other church members.
So they suffer in silence. Many women have been taken advantage of in the name of religion. Many bear the scars in silence. Karl Marx once said religion was the opium of the masses.
Maybe he was right. A lot of clever and unscrupulous evangelists have used religion as drugs to confuse and capture people’s souls. While a lot might turn a blind eye to the abuses, a few women have come out and told their stories.
Also in the absence of voices against these abuses art has come in and become the voice of the voiceless.
I personally view the drama Insuku Zokucina as one such project — coming to speak about issues ordinary and affected people do not normally speak of.
The hope is that if the drama is good enough it will spark a debate around the issues of abuse and some unwanted behaviour in Church or by men of cloth. No woman deserves to be abused by men of cloth or any man in general.
While we wait for the airing of the television drama we can be congratulating Nomakhosana Ncube and Nkanyezi Malunga for the successful Umakoti Royal Brides exhibition at the National Gallery this past week.
It was a memorable event. Fresh and unique. Still on congratulations big up to Lorraine Stot for the launch of her single Bekezela and to the young comedian Marforty for his one-man comedy show.
