By SAMANTHA Boka
Zimbabwe has had its fair share of heroes, celebrated often after they have gone. Our habit of doing so should have ended with the beginning of social media where we can write our own stories. We have somehow allowed our fleeting guilty pleasures to take centre stage. Our Heroine today is Jesesi Mungoshi. “Cook Off” and “Shaina” are the two Zimbabwean movies currently on Netflix and she stars in Both. We take a look at her career and how her consistency has built the industry.
Jesesi Jaboon Mungoshi is a Zimbabwean multi-Award-winning Actress and Film Producer. She is considered as one of Zimbabwe’s most influential pioneers in both television and filmmaking.
Jesesi Mungoshi’s acting career started off in 1985, five years after independence, when she appeared in the drama series, Inongove Njake Njake, as one of the leading characters. The drama series was written by her late husband Dr. Charles Mungoshi. This television series was the first drama series to be commissioned and executed by ZBC under ZBC Television Director and Producer, Ramious Musasa in collaboration with Jesesi and Charles Mungoshi (Mungoshi Family) The collaboration between ZBC and the Mungoshi family opened doors for other drama series’ to follow, the likes of Ziva Kwaunobva etc; a golden era for Zimbabwean television, which many remember with fond memories as the pioneers paved the way for what many believed would be the most vibrant film industry in Africa.
Jesesi went on to feature as a leading actor in several dramas, Makunun’unu Maodzamoyo, Gwatakwata family etc. Inspired and encouraged into acting by her late husband Dr Charles Mungoshi – an International Award-Winning Writer, Jesesi got her international break though in 1990 when she acted in a Canadian television series, African Journey, which also featured Luke Novac. In 1992 she got the lead role for Neria, featuring as Neria. The film would later contest at the Mnet Awards in South Africa, where Jesesi would famously swoop the Main Actress Award in Southern Africa.
This was only the beginning for Jesesi as her phone would ring continuously for the next three months with offers to go to Canada and America to pursue the acting career on a grander scale. Being a proud Zimbabwean and a mother to five children by then, even though flattered she felt it was best for her family that she remained in Zimbabwe. At that time Zimbabwe was considered one of the rising stars of Africa.
The impact the film Neria had on her personal life made her reexamine her life and realize that the woman’s voice in our society was often suppressed thus she began advocating for women. The impact Neria had in Zimbabwe was so much that it made the Zimbabwean Government revisit its laws on Inheritance and Women. Jesesi realized then, the power of film and television, that it could influence people and even governments.
She would later go on to start the Women’s Film Makers of Zimbabwe, together with Joyce Makwenda and others. The agenda was to make the woman’s voice heard in the nation. At this stage she would meet other female activists like Pat McFaden. She was also one of the pioneer members of SAFF (Southern Africa Film Festival) which is now known as ZIFF (Zimbabwe International Film Festival) along with the likes of the late film legend, Walter Mparutsa, Stephen Chigorimbo and Nakai Matema as the Secretary. Walter Mparutsa would go on to advise her to
start her own Film Company, JM Productions which would go on to win a few Awards in the years that followed.
Jesesi decided to take a break from appearing on screen (Acting) as she focused mainly in producing films with JM Productions. Amongst some of her works are; Journey to the Ocean, Mysteries of Mt Nyangani and Camrada Presidente (based on the life and death of Mozambique’s first President, Samora Machel) amongst others. Camrada Presidente went on to receive a mention at the Dubai International film festival (DIFF). In 2014 the same film would go on to win the 2014 Zimbabwe International Film Festival for Best Documentary.
Being married to an Award–winning Author with international acclaim like the late Dr. Charles Mungoshi, Jesesi saw through the formation of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair which was started by Charles Mungoshi, David Martin and Phylis Johnson. The very same team would go on to establish the Zimbabwe Publishing House (ZPH) inviting such writers like Chinua Achebe and many others. Later, she would also influence the birth of the Zimbabwe Budding Writers Association, after witnessing and accommodating a great influx of people at her house coming to learn and discuss how to write a book from the late Dr. Charles Mungoshi. Later in 2013 she would start a company Mungoshi Press, which saw early Awards coming its way in the form of Branching Streams Flow in the Dark by Dr. Charles Mungoshi and Behind the Wall Everywhere by her son Farayi Gilbert Mungoshi.
As such it would be wrong to view Jesesi Mungoshi as just a Film Maker, she advocated for the Arts industry in Zimbabwe, and continues to do so supporting young acts like Jah Prayzah in the music industry, in the same vein she supported, Oliver Mutukudzi, Albert Nyathi amongst others. She has even agreed to taking lesser roles just to support young Film Makers (especially Short films by Students) she knows cannot afford to pay her.
Ever since Neria, Jesesi has been recognized as an Activist and Ambassador for Women’s rights and the disadvantaged girl child. Today she sits on the board at WALA and is a Patron at CJMF (Charles and Jesesi Mungoshi Foundation) where she also participates in the fight for rights for Filmmakers, Writers and Artists at large in Zimbabwe.
There seems to be no end as to what she is capable of when it comes to film and television even trying her hand at producing children’s stories with the Children’s Picture Book (Stories from a Shona Childhood,1998) which she produced with German filmmaker Woolfgang Pfeifer.
Jesesi’s lifelong dream is to make sure she adapts her late husband’s Award-winning books (two of them won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Africa) to film thereby creating content relevant to Zimbabweans and Africa as a whole as some of these are stories told to us by our forefathers before the advent of European settlers in Africa.
Her early roles in the Arts Industry especially the Film Industry have seen her hailed as a Legend
in Zimbabwe, receiving the Legends National Arts Merit Award in 2021. Beneath are some of her Awards/Achievements and works.
AWARDS
1992: Mnet Award for Best Actress (Neria)
2005: Distinguished Woman in Africa Award (IIFF)
2012: Mention for best Film (Camarada Presidente) Dubai International Film Festival
2014: Best Film (Camarada Presidente) Zimbabwe International Film Festival
2014: Safirio Madzikatire Award for contribution towards the Film industry in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe International Film Festival
2017: Great Zimbabwe University Honors Jesesi with Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution towards Film Industry in Zimbabwe
2018: Best Actress (Muzita RaBaba) NAMA
2021: Legends Award (NAMA)
FILM & TELEVISION.
2021: Chipo (Acted)
2020: Shaina (acted)
2019: Familiar (A play by Film legend Danai Gurira)
2019: Mukombe (Produced & Acted)
2017: Cook Off (acted)
2017: Muzita RaBaba
2015: Makunun’unu Maodzamoyo (Produced & Acted)
2014: Camarada Presidente (Produced & won ZIFF Award for Best Documentary)
2012: Camarada Presidente (Produced, received a mention at Dubai International Film Festival)
2000: Journey to the Ocean (Produced)
1998: Mysteries of Mt Nyangani (Produced)
1998: Children’s Video Picture Book (Produced)
1992: Neria
1992: African Journey (for a Canadian TV Network)
1996: Hamburgers in Harare (Documentary)
1997: People with HIV (Documentary)
1985 – 1996 Acted & Co Produced with ZBC the following dramas;
Inongova Njake Njake,
Ngozi,
Ndabvezera,
Roja,
Gwatakwata family.
Makunun’unu Maodzamoyo
Babamunini Francis
Rwendo
Tanganda Adverts (acting as Queen)
BOOKS (Mungoshi Press)
Branching Streams Flow in the Dark written by the late Dr Charles Mungoshi won 2014 NAMA Award for best fiction.
Behind the Wall Everywhere by Farayi Gilbert Mungoshi won 2017 NAMA Award for Best First Book (Fiction)
Candle–Light Thoughts by Charles Jr Mungoshi (Motivational)
The Voice by Batsirai Java (Christian book)
Snippets of my Versatile Mind by Charles Jr Mungoshi (Motivational)
Song of the Silent Deep by the late Dr. Charles Mungoshi (Fiction book yet to be released)
2023: Saving the Dead by Farayi Mungoshi (Fiction book yet to be released)
When she is not working Jesesi loves to watch movies and spending time with her grandsons. Having been involved in several projects across the Arts industry, Jesesi’s influence and voice is still very relevant in present day Zimbabwe. Just recently, on the 4th of September 2023, ZBC News dedicated almost 5 minutes telling her story, with Star FM following up on the 6th of the same month and year.
Her aim is to continue telling the African story through film thereby influencing and shaping Zimbabwean ethos with the goal to help the African celebrate his/her identity which over the years has been looked down upon. As such it is vital which stories or films she gets involved in as she can not take up roles that do not have vision or are liberating to the African people.Jessie’s contribution to the film and publishing sectors are the building blocks to the arts industry we have now. Celebrating her 39th year in film at 69, begs the question, “What is her message?” Speaking at Star FM last week she spoke of her desire for corporates to invest in film and better opportunities for women. Its clear as day how her brand has stood the test of time while we look forward to more roles that educate us in the issues of life!
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