VETERAN actor and Vhitori Entertainment founder, Silvanos “Bhanditi” Mudzvova, yesterday said the widespread cases of domestic violence and divorce among Zimbabweans in the Diaspora have pushed him to explore new storylines for television, in the hope of curbing the growing problem.
BY PRECIOUS CHIDA
The projects are set to be streamed on the online television channel, Bhanditi TV.
Mudzvova, who has predominantly produced political satires, told NewsDay yesterday that he was branching out in the hope that it would contribute to efforts to reduce domestic violence among locals living in the Diaspora.
Most of the triggers, he said, had been fuelled by emerging trends in gender dynamics, where women were increasingly becoming breadwinners in the United Kingdom, and in some cases remunerated higher than their husbands.
“Most Zimbabwean men were used to the idea that women stay home and they were the ones who work, but in the United Kingdom things are now different. Women work and they are even remunerated higher than their husbands and this has caused a lot of problems,” he said.
“So we are trying to be an information provider, so that we reduce the number of deaths and divorces that are currently happening and also keep families together.”
The theatre producer expressed his gratitude to Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, who have been contributing to the project.
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“I am happy that most stories we are dramatising are now getting contributions from Zimbabweans in the diaspora. They have embraced the videos as they are tackling issues affecting them,” Mudzvova said.
He said he was seeking to provoke debate so that people could start discussing these issues at family level, transcending into communities and the nation at large.
The activist, who is currently based in the United Kingdom, said Bhanditi TV was introduced to capture political and socio-economic issues ignored by the government’s ZBC TV due to their political sensitivity.
“We formed Bhanditi TV as an alternative to what Zimbabweans currently have. As a nation, we have one television station and at times, it does not cater for some issues like human rights issues, socio-political issues and domestic violence,” Mudzvova said.
Meanwhile, Mudzvova said he was working with a British director on a new play that will be starring British women and others from Zimbabwe.
