Mpumalanga’s Umjindi series makes it to national television
Film-maker and actor Linda Chirwa said this is an opportunity to showcase the province's talent and a call for the government to support upcoming actors and actresses.
A series produced locally, Umjindi, airs on SABC 1 every Sunday night.
This Siswati series is about betrayal, love, forgiveness, indifferences and corruption.
It features local actors and actresses, such as Luyanda Maseko, Mawethu Ngwenya and Given Banda. The production has local talent from KaNyamazane, Barberton, Bushbuckridge and other areas in Mpumalanga.
According to the film-maker and actor, Linda Chirwa, Umjindi is a development project that works with young people who are interested in acting and learning filming production. He said currently season three is airing, and they are glad the public enjoyed the first two.
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“This programme came into being after we noticed how drugs were destroying the lives of the youth in Barberton. The initiative started in 2015 with the aim to get young people off the street as a way to fight drug abuse and crime.
“We are happy for this opportunity, because other languages are usually showcased a lot on television, although we hardly see Siswati, isiNdebele, Tsonga and Sepulane dramas.”
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Chirwa said the challenges they face are that some of the people who are part of the initiative demand money at the beginning of the project, and the lack of professionalism.
“In Mpumalanga, we still have no schools who can train upcoming actors and actresses, which is one of the issues I think the government needs to address, as well as the lack of support from the government. We still call for the government to support the art and entertainment industry in the province so we can have workshops for the youth to learn more about filming.”
