Her vision to develop theatre among neglected sections of society has led her to form New Dawn, a production house that is working to train, motivate, develop and empower young women with skills in writing, producing and directing.
Dubbed Theatre for everyone –Mammas, the project focuses on young women in remote rural areas. Having been in the arts industry for some time, Dube said she was struck by the low participation of women and children from marginalised societies.
“The remote areas of Matabeleland that we are working with include Esigodini, Inyathi, Nyamayendlovu and Matopos. In each of these areas, we have identified 30 young women who are undergoing a one-year theatre training course. They are under the supervision of professional facilitators,” said Dube, 27, who is also the director and coordinator of New Dawn.
The facilitators are based in Bulawayo and travel to the rural areas once a week to conduct lessons. During the last quarter of the course, the trainees will develop, rehearse and produce a play under the supervision of the facilitators.
At the close of each training year the organisation will celebrate the trainees’ achievements through an awards ceremony. After they have completed the course, the graduates are linked up with various organisations such as the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) where they can showcase their plays for a fee.
“This programme has received amazing support from a lot of people, including traditional leaders and men in the rural areas. It has also unlocked a lot of hidden talent. Some of the women in Matopos have already been engaged by a local non-governmental organisation to provide entertainment at community meeting functions,” said Dube.
One of the women who has undergone the course, Mavis Moyo, described it as thorough and intensive.
“I was one of the lucky woman selected to undergo training in various disciplines of theatre. I now know how to direct and produce dramas. Very soon I and my group will be starting to produce our own series of dramas on DVD, which we hope to sell to the public as well as to ZBC,” she said.
Dube has also conducted theatre lessons for vulnerable children in Bulawayo. Entitled “Theatre for everyone”, this involved disadvantaged children aged between 10 and 18 years from five children homes in the city.
Dube started her career in arts at Amakhosi Performing Arts Academy, where she attained a Diploma in Multi-Creative Arts Communications in 2006. Some of her works include a TV series, Yeyeni Bantu, that was showcased on ZTV, and Mr Perfect, a sitcom that was also screened on local television.
She bemoaned the low number of women who were actively involved in the arts industry, saying “It is very difficult for a female artist to excel in theatre. As a woman, you need to work twice as hard as your male counterpart for your work to be recognised and appreciated. Women artists in this country are not taken seriously.”
Post published in: Gender Equality