Mphundu Mjumira brings two act play

Tom Sangala January 9, 2018

493 2 minutes read

Actor Mphundu Mjumira, who played the lead role in the play Fear Eats the Soul, a collaboration between Nanzikambe Arts and Theater Konstanz from Germany, is set to premiere a two-act play titled My Time Is…… Yatha.
Mphundu is the brains behind the play which stars Maxwell Makande and Felistus Kamuloni.
The play will premiere in Mzuzu on January 26 before their main European tour.
“We have been invited to Bergen Afro Arts Festival (Baaf) in Norway and then thereafter we have a show in London and Germany.
He said that he was directing the devised production which zeroes in on a married couple, who have been together for years but it’s also been time since they showed love to each other.
“There is only one thing that they survive, in their daily needs. What happens when that asset is lost? Will they still live together?
And what if you give them a chance to have everything that they have been missing in their lives; will they be able to handle it? these are the questions that we want to ask the audience,” Mphundu said.
He observed that people spend more time arguing about things that do not matter adding that this is why “we have all these conflicts in this world.”
According to Mphundu, the play is being staged under Team of Art Malawi.
“We are staging it as Team of Art Malawi. This group was created by me. It is a group that is there to try and expose young artists in the country,” Mphundu said.
He added that Team of Art Malawi was like a theatre laboratory where all artists will expose their talent to the world.
“Team of Art Malawi has no boundaries and everyone is welcome. Organisations are welcome if they want something that is attached to art,” Mphundu said.
He said that people should not be confused with the Team Art Malawi as he was still part and parcel of Nanzikambe.
“I am still part of Nanzikambe, it is just that sometimes one has to share the skills that you he or she has to others as well as give room to new comers and so sharing could be done on a separate platform,” Mphundu said.
He said they were still looking for more venues to stage the play.
“Art has done well and is well represented outside the country but it has been sidelined. We need support and it is not always about giving money but offering space for performances or resources,” he said.
Mphundu said it was very expensive to hold performances in the country as you have to dig deeper.
“It is very expensive to do shows in Malawi. Fees for venues keep on rising and for theatre; we also have to spend more on rehearsals. We are struggling at the moment with rehearsals since there is no funding and this is where we want the corporate world or the government to come in,” he said.
He said that the play was a mixture of Chichewa and English languages and that in Europe it will be the same.