Director Teekay fights GBV through videos
FROM humble beginnings in rural Shurugwi to living in the United Kingdom and South Africa, he is one of the most sought-after music video directors.
His signature can be seen on international music channels such as Channel O, MTV, Trace and BET.
Born Tinashe Nyepere, but affectionately known as Director Teekay, he has worked with Mr Eazi, Tekno, Wizkid, Davido and Patoranking, among others.
His unique approach has enabled him to work on commercials, documentaries, TV Shows and various other pieces.
With experience as an editor and a colourist, Director Teekay ( pictured) has a complete understanding of the production process, guiding and directing projects to completion. Everything he touches turns to gold as seen on Ammara Brown’s “Tichichema” video, the current number 1 video trending in Zimbabwe on YouTube.
As the world marks 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, Director Teekay has joined the campaign to end gender based violence. The Sunday Mail Society caught up with Director Teekay in Johannesburg, South Africa, to get more details on his partnership with Ammara Brown.
Q: Briefly tell us about Director Teekay.
A: During my formative years, I moved around the country a lot. As a result, I attended seven different primary schools, not by choice, but circumstances. At the age of 14, I left the country to join my family in the UK. That is where I discovered my passion for creativity, starting off as a music producer, which developed into a love for visuals. I met Luke Begins, a video director, who helped me begin this new and exciting path. Subsequently, I started working with my mentor Sesan as a runner, eventually becoming an editor. I moved into directing under Sesan’s guidance and perfected my craft. I’m also a consultant and project manager. I have set up multiple collaborations with artistes and producers from across the continent. I also do consultancy for festivals and hold panel discussions across the continent.
Q: What inspired you to work on “Tichichema”?
A: I reached out to Ammara at the beginning of the year to work on some of her new projects. When she played me this particular song, I immediately fell in love with it and knew it needed a video that matched the message. You don’t often work with an artiste that puts together a musical piece and can easily convey their emotions in their performance. Ammara is such a great performer. Getting the message across to the viewer and having it resonate was never going to be a challenge.
Q: What is the story line about?
A: We follow an African love story that highlights a practice that’s deeply rooted in inequality. Substance abuse is being used to combat depression and frustration, instead of communication alternatives. This is tearing homes apart and destroying the image of what future generations will perceive men to be.
Q: What are your sentiments on GBV?
A: One in three women experience GBV in their lifetime. That’s concerning and rather disheartening. One loses faith in humanity when looking at those statistics. In Zimbabwe, one in every four women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. In our neighbouring country Botswana, over two thirds of women have experienced some form of gender violence in their lifetime, including partner and non-partner violence; nearly one third of them perpetrated by an intimate partner.
Gender based violence is suffered in silence by many people and in homes across the world, especially by women. There are better ways of communicating one’s frustrations with their partner or anyone. Resorting to force, verbal and emotional abuse, are definitely not communication alternatives.
As men, we need to step up and give this topic our voice. Taking responsibility and accountability is the first step, but taking action and actively working to combat this situation is the best way forward. We live in a time where our sisters and daughters live in fear, their trust in men dwindles every day. That is not a world I ever imagined we would comfortably live in. Our women deserve to speak and be heard, not to be spoken down on. They need to exercise their rights without fear and feel safe in their homes.
Q: Tell us about Edible Elevens.
A: Edible Elevens is a visual content development movement. I started it in July with a fellow filmmaker from Botswana, Michael Gaobakwe, and one of the greatest creative minds from Zimbabwe, Devon Petersen. We have since collaborated with over 30 creatives and industry players in Southern Africa and Nigeria to bring projects to life, bridge the gap between our creatives as well as broaden our knowledge and skill of social issues affecting vulnerable individuals.
The future is now and the plan as Edible Elevens has manifested. “Tichichema” almost hit 200 000 views in a week. As a first step, we started here at home in Zimbabwe, getting to work with other local filmmakers like the amazing Joe Njagu, who brought something unique to “Tichichema”. It’s always been my plan to get filmmakers to collaborate and it is good to see the young directors in Zimbabwe starting to show the country’s potential.
Music videos are only a window into what is there to be seen and learnt. Getting our creatives to come together and put informative, captivating experiences through short and feature films as well as facilitating and equipping them with what they need to bring these pieces to life is the road we are on.
We also started another movement called the Creative Culture, which is a diversified entertainment and media company with a focus on music, film, television and distribution. It has a shared vision with Edible Elevens.