The Optimistically Artistic World Of Ganjah

“If your work is good, you get feedback khonapho – khonapho”

GWANDA district-based film maker and director, stage producer and actor, Kukhanyakwenkosi Theophilus Zinti Mnkandhla aka Ganjah is an apt definition of passion, resilience and determination in a single frame.

A product of the Zimbabwe Film and Television School of Southern Africa (ZIFTESSA), Ganjah’s passionate and seemingly insatiable appetite for the arts can be traced back to Mtshingwe Primary school, when he was yet a child.

“I grew up in a family where storytelling was some communion. We used to tell and re-enact stories, and I still vividly remember the lines I said in my first play at Mtshingwe Primary school, Ndabva pano mvenge North Africa”, says the arts go-getter apparently owing most of it to the Simon Mambazo Phiri who directed SIYAYA arts ensemble.

“SIYAYA is one of the arts organisations that inspired me to get into the arts industry, and so far, it has been good. The arts group used to visit my school for workshops and presentations on art and the arts industry and stimulated most of our works at the Umzingwane drama”, adds the artist whose greatest influence for the love of arts is also drawn from the environment where he grew up.

From the face of it, he is arguably a positive consequence of observation, for he says, looking around the world, he realised there is a lot to tell, including so many stories out there that people need to know about and this is why he chose film and stage works.

Added to enjoying the process of writing, Ganjah also delights in performing in front of a live audience as he says this gives him that immediate fulfilment from the audience’ reaction.

“If your work is good you get feedback khonapho khonapho and its thrilling because I have never had people boo me on stage because I have failed to perform or because our artwork was mediocre”, says the undiscouraged artist with a physical disability but not inability for the arts.

“I was injured on the 13^th of April 2000 when I was hit by a bus at the terminus here in Gwanda. Well, some may call this a curse but for me, it might be considered as a blessing. My closest friends always tell me they often forget that I am disabled”, says the artist who believes he has managed to overcome calamity through great fortitude, strength of spirit and self-confidence.

The artist who was left with no option but to learn to adjust early because he says he is an outgoing person, linking with people convincing them to see and not to judge a book by its cover, has enjoyed the academic and creative challenge in the arts and entertainment sector.

He describes that academically when putting down a production one needs to be sure about what they are taking out there. Creatively, this must be put in a special way so that it is relevant, people can remember you and this must also pay you.

Ganjah has also enjoyed the processes of challenging his mind about a new production. For him, writing is akin to being pregnant where the pregnancy is the idea, the growth, gestation period being the development of that idea and the birth being the culmination of the story be it on film or on stage, and that is what he enjoys.

“The greatest misconception is that a person with a disability cannot perform on stage, cannot act, cannot portray a character on stage, NO NO NO, that is a grossly unfair approach to disability. In my case, I defy all odds because I know I am capable”, he bemoans.

Amid becrying, being treated with less regard by audiences, he mentions how heart-breaking it is when directors, producers and even writers conceptualise stories that go into production, where when casting people they forget that people with disabilities can express the role that they may or may not be cast for better than a so-called able-bodied person.

“When they see me get into shows with my clutches they initially say, aaargh this guy is trying to embarrass himself, but then all those perceptions suddenly vanish because as soon as I get on stage I overcome that challenge by performing to the best of my capabilities”, he says.

Ganjah has a plea for a change in public perceptions around disability where people also think that disabled people are beggars who wait in street corners. He appeals for the need to conscientize society on inclusivity and equality regarding persons with disability and the so-called able-bodied people.

Sophisticated to his artistic world is that in whatever he does, Ganjah tries to find the best way, the most creative way, the newest kind of way to express an opinion on stage, be it a character or the story itself. He says he tries to find an angle that is unique from what has been done before and probably set a trend of what will come after, hence he says this is how his art is different from that by others in his same field of focus.

Ganjah has arguably travelled miles in exhibiting his art. He has performed at Sibikwa Arts Centre in South Africa, at Intwasa arts festivals and at many more festivals throughout the country. He says he wishes to capture the world as he is looking for platforms far and wide that will exhibit his films and stories. He is currently in the middle of writing a book where he is exploring ways to reach more people and at the same time, optimistic and closely monitoring how far this will get him.

Ganjah also looks forward to advancing himself in both film and stage categories. He believes that there is great need for mainstreaming of the creative and cultural industries into a vibrant participation.

As an actor, the greatest local achievement that Ganjah has received is when he was part of a production called 1983: The Dark Years by the Jahunda Community Arts written by Bhekumusa Moyo which was nominated as the best theatre production at the 2019 National Arts Merit Awards, NAMAs. As an audio visual advertiser one of his advert came second in the Sahwira Where and Where competition organised by the Nyaradzo Funeral Services Group.

As a filmmaker Ganjah won a student filmmaking competition for a production called Homecoming which was voted the best in Southern Africa among the film schools in the region.

Ganjah is currently working on a book, a collection of stories called 58/19, this was his prison number when he got arrested for some reasons. He explains that the book features a lot of morbid stories, he wrote some of them while he was in a dark space and he is trying to maintain that dark theme. The book has stories about the war, the aftermath of the war, abuse in homes, stories about growing up from ekasi and he mentions that there is a lot of poetry too.

He is also in the pre-production phase for a short film shoot called Nompilo where he highlights challenges that societies face in accessing water, particularly with a focus on women and the girl child where he briefly says this is a struggle that we all see where water has suddenly become a commodity of trade and power. Ganjah says the film will also highlight what the local authority says it has done to correct the wrongs that people are facing in terms of water crisis.

Besides the Nompilo project, Ganjah is set to release the following projects:

“There’s the short film Nompilo on water and service delivery, then there’s Vereza on drug and alcohol abuse. People Rallying for the Implementation of Disability Empowerment Foundation is intended to cater for the needs of the ‘disabled’ as well as educate the grassroots on said issues whilst providing extra-social support on issues dealing with Post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, for families and the community. They are looking forward to launch this one with a one man march from Gwanda to Harare(parliament) to petition government to implement the National Disability Policy as a matter of urgency in terms of representation and ratification of laws that pertain to disability issues. Then there is Imbokodo Women’s Film Project directed at highlighting women’s input in society.

“We’re working on some stage plays, the Inmates (3 men cast) as well as the Activist (2 men), the story is about my political inclinations and the repercussions arising, says Ganjah. In order to fully realise his dream of becoming a renowned global artist, Ganjah mentions some of the items he needs. He requires technical equipment such as cameras and lights and the exhibition platforms so that the several concepts that they have can have takers. He looks forward to have someone who will be able to commit and invest in his art, his talent and his ability to shoot film.