Trying to speak ‘African English’
ACTOR Mpumi Mpama has one of the most distinguished voices in Mzansi‚ something he has been working on for several years‚ despite sometimes being teased or told he needed to speak “African English”.
The star‚ who recently scored a lead role in Mzansi Magic’s The Imposter‚ said he was always questioned or teased about his voice‚ but instead of using it as a negative he embraced the criticism to make him better.
“The negativity that I would get was a fuel to perfect it‚” he said.
Mpama explained that at school he was told he spoke like a coconut‚ and because of that he tried to imitate the way people told him to speak‚ to perfect his voice.
The actor said when he started doing voice overs‚ his accent was so American that producers would ask him to speak “African English”. This encouraged him to learn more and refine his voice.
Mpama is no stranger to the screen‚ having made appearances in a number of highprofile productions including Igazi‚ Saints and Sinners‚ The Road‚ Zabalaza‚ Generations and Isibaya.
Playing a drug dealer in The Queen and no-nonsense businessman Reginald in The Imposter has also given off the impression that Mpama is a “hard man”‚ but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I do come across as a hard man on screen, but in reality it depends on the situation. I am a soft-hearted person but I get hard when I don’t see results.
‘I am the exact opposite of unapproachable; when people see the real me, they see that I am very approachable. They come to speak to me and ask about my work.
“The best way to deal with the misconceptions is to show people they can speak to me. Sometimes a little smile to break the ice doesn’t hurt‚” he said. — DDC