I want to conquer Africa on screen'

Her name is Lwazi Shongwe and is currently a secretary at Lethokusha Film Production. She is gifted in both acting and writing movie scripts.

Born and bred at Phonjwane, Lwazi completed her high school education at Apex Tutorial Academy where she was spotted by Le-thokusha Film Production Director Abejide Olu-wole Michael.

Before then, she had noticed that she was a very creative person but never thought that she could be an actress.

"At first I wanted to be an accountant but it then I was asked to write a story which we were to dramatise during the school’s culture day in high school and our principal fell in love with it. That’s when it dawned on me that I am a good writer," she says with a smile.

At the same function, the Lethokusha director was also in attendance and spotted her which is how she became part of ‘Busuku Bunye’.

"He called me after a few days and asked that I join the cast and that was the first time I did professional acting."

She says she enjoyed the shoot a lot as it made her learn a lot and gain more experience.

"Being on set made me learn from my mistakes because when my director said ‘cut’ I knew that I had done something wrong and that I had to make sure it didn’t happen again."

The opportunity opened her eyes in as far as acting and film production are concerned and she started to realise how difficult it is to take up such a profession in Swaziland.

This has made her more than determined to change the negative attitude towards acting.

"I have seen that most Swazis do not take acting seriously and feel that it is a profession that doesn’t get one anywhere so I want to change that," she explained.

Even though the exposure that she has received is not that much, she says she is more than determined to conquer Africa with her acting skills.

"I want to help Swaziland make it big in as far as acting and producing movies are concerned. I know that there are a lot of challenges especially because it seems that no one cares about film production in Swaziland but if we are determined as young people, sooner or later our country will be recognised for producing the best actors and films."

While she lives her dream of making it big in acting, she is aware of the fact that acting and film production is costly but is of the view that once taken seriously, companies will be more than willing to sponsor local actors and films and such will make things easier.

"We all know that currently we do not have acting schools in Swaziland yet it is a fact that for the country to produce the best films and actors, it should start at grassroots level. So we need to work hard so that someone will realise that there is a need for such a school".

This and that about Lwazi

I am a great fan of SABC 2’s Muvhango because it has natural actors. I like reality in acting. I also love the Tyra Banks show because she is one of my role models as I also love presenting.

Jackie Appa from Ghana is my best actor as she has appeared in a lot of African movies. I also love the US’ Angelina Jolie and I have watched most of her movies. These two actors always have something about them in every movie and I learn a lot because I do not just watch for fun but to learn something.

I am a hip hop fan, it is in my blood. My favourite artist is Lil’Wayne and I fell in love with him the moment he burst onto the scene.

The Summerfield Botanical Gardens, especially at night, is the best place. I just love the view and the water.

Why Did I Get Married.

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