The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu
WHILE some artistes, both male and female, would be afraid to accept an invitation to perform in front of prisoners, comedian Nomsa “MsDee” Diana conquered her fears when she, alongside a cast some of the city’s finest funnymen, staged a show at Bulawayo Prisons.
Most people who have never been inside the daunting walls of any prison dread the prospect of ever finding themselves in the place where those that have been caught offside of the law come to pay their debt to society.
Although she has not committed any crime, MsDee found herself, for a day, within the confines of the place popularly known as Grey Prison where she was tasked with bringing a smile and cheer to those facing the grim reality of prison life. The comedians were there to perform as part of festivities during the prison’s family fun week.
“When I found out that I had to perform there I was taken aback. I won’t lie, I was afraid. It was a challenge but even though I had my fears it was challenge that I looked forward to,” she said.
MsDee said her confidence was bolstered by the fact that she knew beforehand that Zimbabwean prisoners were not like those from other countries.
“I think if you put things into perspective then you’ll realise that our prisoners are generally well behaved and disciplined. Of course there will always be a few bad apples but if you went there expecting to see Michael Schofield of Prison Break you’d have been disappointed,” she said.
MsDee added that while some might have been expecting a female performer to have a rough time on stage, she was surprised to see how well received her set was.
“I was appreciated by the audience because I’m a woman and they were male. I made sure that I didn’t wear body hugging clothes because I didn’t want the rest of the day and night to be hard for them,” she said with a chuckle.
She went on to share her observations about what she had seen in prison, saying the prisoners had been very receiving of both comedy and religious scripture much to her surprise.
“There was a pastor there and I must admit that the prisoners really listened intently to his sermon. They really seemed to be taking every word in and the only people who seemed not to be listening were the backbenchers. So I realised that backbenchers are a problem everywhere, not just at school.
“I realised that not every person in jail is a hardcore criminal. Some people are there because of circumstances and deserve another chance,” she said.
