2020, year of worst circumstances: Gurira
AS the curtain draws on 2020, Zimbabwean playwright-cum-Hollywood actress Danai Jekesai Gurira ( pictured), famed for her role in American superhero film Black Panther, has described 2020 as one of the worst.
The United States-based Gurira, who is also the co-founder and executive artistic director of Almasi, a Zimbabwean-American drama arts collaborative organisation, said their programming suffered due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
“Creating work has never been easy. Not even in the best of circumstances. We could never have imagined a 2020 as we planned for its programming, but we recalibrated,” she said.
“Nevertheless, our programming suffered, we did manage to work towards our core vision in the midst of it all.
“The goal of Almasi Arts has always been to create opportunity for African artists, to provide education and access.”
Gurira said Almasi sought to create connections between artists in Zimbabwe and in the United States of America, to allow collaboration that enriches both the creators and their art from these different parts of the world.
“Being both American and Zimbabwean, it was always vitally important to me to facilitate this relationship between artists across the globe, for the world to get a little smaller, a little less divided,” she said.
Gurira said although they had so many goals still to be attained, they had many breakthroughs.
“Our work with Ojai Playwrights Conference (OPC) continued in spite of the pandemic preventing travel.
“Zimbabwean teenagers engaged with American teenagers in the youth writing programme OPC provides,” she said.
“In January, we were able to conduct our annual Almasi African Playwrights’ Conference and brought dramaturge Sasha Emerson from the United States to Harare to serve as this year’s facilitator; yet another connection made with OPC.”
“This holiday season, was different from any other, take a moment to get to know a Zimbabwean writer, watch our Playwrights’ Conference video from early in the year and see how Zimbabwean theatre makers developed stories the world needs to hear. Watch the testimonials and hear artists share how they spent this tumultuous year and managed to find their artistic flow despite it all.
Gurira said those who intended to give, could help them to continue availing opportunities to African artists and to be able to come back in 2021 stronger.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview, Gurira called for a collaborative effort to take the African narratives across the globe.
She said the world was ready for narratives from an African perspective.
“What I learnt after the astounding response to Marvel’s Black Panther, as a cast member, was that the world is more than ready for narratives from an African perspective,” she said.
“Everytime I am back in Zimbabwe, I meet artists ready to take off and tell powerful untold stories in unexpected ways. Join me in making sure these stories are heard and experienced by the world.”
Gurira’s stock in the film industry has continued to rise, and she is celebrated as one of Africa’s greatest exports to Hollywood. She has rubbed shoulders with a cast of top-rated international actors, such as the late Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Angela Bassett.