To be seen is not just about fame.

Words by Alex Gwaze (Curator)
Questions by Alex Gwaze and Terry-Jo Thorne (Researcher & Writer)

In Jamaican culture, the slang word “zeen” or “seen” is used to affirm understanding, similar to “got it?” or “you get me?” As a creative, I know the goal of all artists is to be understood by their audience and recognized by their peers. However, in the creative industry, it’s even harder to be recognized and acknowledged if you are a woman. You might be the director of a popular TV show and directed music videos for a well-known singer – yet someone might only see you as – “ain’t that the chick from the NAMAs?”

Charlene Mangweni-Furusa is a National Arts Merit awards (NAMA) and Bulawayo Arts awards (BAA) winning actress, director, writer, and voice-over artist. Yes, she has hosted the NAMAs (five times) and Miss Universe Zimbabwe, but her portfolio is too broad to be narrowed down to just the presenter of the NAMAs. Charlene has worked in film, stage, and radio (Zifm Stereo) for over a decade and her notable works include: “Tangled” (3Ktv x 5 ZAFTA nominations), “Cook Off” (on Netflix), “The Incident”, “Chinhoyi 7”, and “Gonarezhou: The Movie”. In addition, she has also directed commercials for CBZ Bank, Jumbo Snacks, and Eversharp.

In some other shoes (not heels), the comment would have been – “I didn’t know Charlene also MCs” – but there is so much unlearning to do in the arts scene. That’s why don’t blame my over-talkative commentator for only recognizing one aspect of Charlene’s skill set. She does many things well. However, when I told him her debut film, “See Me” has been shown at festivals in Zimbabwe, Switzerland, Brazil, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, Germany, South Africa, Botswana, and Spain – I was surprised to learn he knew the film. I guess it’s time for him (and others) to know the filmmaker too.

AG: First off, congratulations for your first film “See Me”! It’s a pretty unique film that utilizes, poetry, dance, music, photography as part of the storytelling. Why did you decide to use this (Black Is King-like) style?

CMF: Thank you. We wanted to present the research findings in an entertaining way that honored the heart of the stories and not just the statistics of it all, and using these pillars of creativity was a no brainer. The film is actually based on research done over a period of about 3 years. So, the stories depicted in the film are a culmination of what young people living with HIV faced during COVID lockdowns. The point of the style was to be relevant and still communicate effectively the issues at hand.

AG: You worked with singer Nyasha David in “See Me”. You previously directed his music video for “Perfect Reasons”. Your first ever music video? Did this experience inspire the concept for “See Me” or are just a fan of Nyasha’s music?

CMF: (laughs) Let me explain. For Nyasha David, I have directed several videos: “Perfect reasons”, “kaChest ke love”, “Nokusingaperi” and “Chinosiya maoko”. I am a fan of his work (I don’t believe in putting my name on something I don’t like). But his work was was not my first time wearing the director’s hat. I have also directed some scenes in the film, “Rujeko: The film” under the Aaron C. Moyos tutelage. I have also directed 52 episodes (season 3 and 4) of the daily telenovela, “Tangled” on 3Ktv. These different experience informed the direction of “See Me”. We sat down as a group of creatives, with the script I had written, and handpicked the message we needed the music to have. Nyasha is a musician but the sound of “See Me” was inspired by the stories we wanted to tell. The stories then informed Mwenje Mathole’s choice in composing and performing music for each theme and story in the film. The music is intentionally placed to tell the story. You will notice we added subtitles to the lyrics because the story keeps being told through the song and also through the unique dances.

TJ: You mentioned “Tangled”. You not only directed it but you also acted in it.

CMF: Yes, I directed and acted in “Tangled”, which was no walk in the park. My energy came from the fact that I loved the story and wanted to tell it right. It always helps when the script is something I can relate to and that is intriguing. This made it easy to read through it and follow each character as they were well rounded and captivating. The most important thing is to make sure everyone understands the story, from sound to lights, to camera, to the actors. This way everyone can effectively run with the vision and not need individual instructions at every turn. To direct well you need a good team, and I rely heavily on my actors and actresses to embrace the story so we run with it together. Secondly, I relied on my crew a lot, my DOP had to be on the same wave length with me so we got the right picture. I prioritize the story above anything else and this means all the cogs in the machine need to work together to bring the story out. When it came to also being one of the lead actors, it was important that I handed the reigns over to my assistant director, Wilson Biswell, a man with a vast knowledge of film. With everyone understanding where the characters are coming from and where they were going, I could sink in to my character when the time came, knowing that my team would know how to carry the story.

TJ: Unlike “Tangled”, “See Me” is based on real stories. I always find it daunting re-telling real people’s experiences in any medium. How did you handle the responsibility of depicting people’s most private and emotional experiences?

CMF: It was honestly nerve wrecking, and humbling. The most gratifying experience was when some of the interviewees watched it for the first time, and they heard their words and saw their situations, and they loved it. It was important that we remained true to the essence of their experiences whilst being sensitive enough to their plight. When adapting the stories into a screenplay, I made sure to mix different experiences in a character, this way one story can embody 5 various experiences.

AG: Before the films, music videos, and TV series, you started off on stage in high school. In fact you won both your NAMA and BAA awards for your theatre acting? Why do you no longer act on stage?

CMF: Telling stories is my love, regardless of whether I do this on stage, TV, film or as a voice over artist. I still do a lot of theatre work with production companies like Almasi Collaborative arts. I have been part of the play wrights conference held each year where various local plays are workshopped and this has contributed to my growth as an actress immensely. Right now I’m playing “Primrose in Almasi’s first play, “Family Riots”.

AG: Congrats! You definitely haven’t lost your ability to captivation a live audience. You’ve hosted the NAMAs and emceed the European Film Festival ZW. You have a great voice.

CMF: In my experience, being a good voice is about practice and discipline. Learning from new sounds is also key in maintaining different ways to keep your audience hooked. I make sure my ears are always open to hear different ways of saying things, and seeing the emotion that certain intonations evoke. This helps me be a better voice over artist and also a live announcer. I try to improve my voice by learning new techniques and also seeking mentorship. I also pay special attention to various voice overs on international platforms and learn from that.

TJ: From the stage to radio, TV and even script and copy writing. I know a lot of women who rightfully complain about the limited opportunities in the arts. How have you managed to make your mark in almost every area of the arts?

CMF: I don’t think there’s ever an excuse to not go after your dreams. I keep knocking on doors, even in places where I shouldn’t qualify, I find ways to make sure my work speaks for itself. Being a woman has its challenges, definitely. I can’t say I have overcome those challenges but I take each day and task as it comes and instead look towards achieving my dreams despite the hurdles.

TJ: Talking about struggles. In your own words, one of the reasons the Zim film industry is struggling is that we don’t “make something worth selling”. How can we move into the creative product market?

CMF: Hmm. Collaboration and eye for quality. I think we have some really great productions, but the time and attention to detail taken when making a film is lacking. Making sure all the elements are of good quality.The moment we realise that, then we can have sellable productions. You can have a great script and bad color, or great sound with horrible acting. This won’t work. It would be better to collaborate with those excelling in a particular area so you have one great product, than working on something yourself and have a half decent result.

AG: Honestly, I think the whole country is struggling to make and fund creative works. We need big businesses’ support. How can we approach companies to sponsor or at least place their products in our local films?

CMF: Oh yes! It would be so amazing to get corporate sponsorship for film and TV. I think one of the ways to do this would be to use a bait and tackle approach. Show the company what sort of value they would get by partnering with your production. Who doesn’t like nice things? If you can prove a corporate will get value for money by working with you, then perhaps you have a shot. This may not be a bullet proof answer, but I think it’s a great place to start.

AG: Partnerships, hmmm. I love how you and your husband Tafadzwa “Croft” Furusa have tag-teamed the industry with Motion Zebra productions. Lastly, how have you guys managed to balance the work and your relationship?

CMF: (laughs) So funny story, we actually met when I had gone for an audition to be a presenter on a tv show. He was on camera. I remember he asked me if I needed help rehearsing and I blatantly refused. I wanted the job so bad I didn’t want any distractions, and that’s what he was that day. A month later, I got the job, and he was on camera again. We talked after the event I was emceeing and we exchanged numbers and now 8 years later we are happily doing life together. We decided early on that our dreams aligned, and being in the media space, making films, was something we both loved, there was no question about that. So it honestly came naturally sharing that vision with him. We started Motion Zebra together and he helped me establish my voice over company Voice Design. We feed into each other’s vision so that part was easy. Being as passionate as we both are about film, we are bound to have a few tiffs, but we’ve learnt to keep those in the professional space and know that its ok to have opposing creative ideas, there’s always a kind way to say things and still come up with a great product. I love having him on camera when we film because he gets my crazy descriptions of how I want a scene to look. Working together can be a nightmare with your spouse if you don’t set boundaries, for us, we draw the lines, I’m the writer and director and he has creative lead over the shots and color. So, we let the other have their space. And we choose to have fun whilst doing it. I think choosing to respect each other is a big part of it.

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Follow Charlene @charlenefurusa