Many may not be familiar with the name Philip Gadzikwa Mushangwe, but this the man who rocked Zimbabwe television in the 1990s as a comedy character under the name Paraffin or Baba vaSorobi.
Cecilia Kamuputa
Parafini coined street language to suit any mood, leaving viewers in stitches.
He usually acted as a character who gossiped about what was going on in the neighbourhood and he was known for his huge appetite and ‘amazing’ eating habits whenever he visited his neighbours.
Paraffin’s career ended with his death on June 29, 1997.
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Popular quotes from Paraffin include: “Ko nhai nurse,ndokumbirawo mejensi.” “Ndamboti ndakaenda ku University here ini? Inongori scop medula blangata yangu inongori sharp!”
His nickname comes from his role as Mukadota on The Mukadota Family, a Shona drama which ran on Zimbabwe Broadcasting Television in the 1980s and early 1990s.
He acted alongside Susan Chenjerai (Mai Rwizi) and dancer-cum-actor Elizabeth Taderera affectionately known as Katarina.
Boora was cast as Gringo, an adaptation of Enock Chihombori’s cartoon character, becoming an instant hit with Zimbabwean television viewers.
With his Orchestra Ndozvo band, Kapfupi produced the famous song ‘Mai Ngaa’.
And hailing from the East, Simon Shumba, also known as Mutirowafanza became popular for his heavy Manyika accent.
His popular quotes include:“Bambo wako haana bachi? Go get that one, enda wotora irero!”
The following screen shots show findings from a survey carried out by NewsDay on FaceBook on who the greatest actor to ever come out of Zimbabwe was.
Other names that came through in the survey include Sakhamuzi, John Banda, Felix Silandulo Moyo and Sabhuku Vharazipi.