A poem that local scriptwriter and poet Luckmore Magaya recited at a prize-giving day while he was doing Grade 3 several years ago, inspired and opened avenues for the Warren Park-born artiste. A product of the talent-search programme, Starbrite, Magaya is optimistic that he has what it takes to achieve global stardom.
Magaya holds a Diploma in Tourism and Business Studies from Bournemouth, England and is currently studying towards an Honours Degree in Applied Media Arts and Performance Studies at the University of Zimbabwe. He is the vice-president of a dance theatre club called Elysium Magna.
Standard Style reporter Bridget Wadzanai Mavhimira (BWM) recently spoke to Magaya (LM), who recounted his early days in arts and what he aims to achieve in the cut-throat showbiz industry.
Below are experts from the interview.
BWM: What is poetry to you?
LM: To me when we talk of poetry, we talk of a rare jewel that can be used positively to build construct and develop one’s self as well as nations.
BWM: How did you discover your talent as a spoken word poet?
LM: For me to discover my talent, it was my sister who helped me. When I was still doing Grade 3 in 1998 at Warren Park 5 Primary School, I was tasked to do a poem at prize-giving day so my sister wrote me a poem titled Shura Matongo, whose message was about HIV and Aids. During that time it was a topical subject as HIV was ravishing all communities and disturbing the flow of life in Zimbabwe. So when I recited the poem, Mrs Togara and Mrs Madzima my primary school teachers quickly identified the potential that was in me.
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BWM: Who are your role models in the industry?
LM: I have tutors and mentors, the first one being Barney Mpariwa from Starbrite as well as Albert Nyathi through Starbrite as well. The late Cont Mhlanga, Jasen Mphepo and Daves Guzha of Theatre in the Park were my inspirations. I have a few people I look up to in church as well as I grew up in the Methodist performance arts is key there.
BWM: Tell me about your life as a theatre performer.
LM: Well in terms of theatre, I ventured into it professionally when I enrolled with the University of Zimbabwe and it has changed quiet a lot of things in my life as I try to major into directing. So far I have directed several plays under the banner of Elysium Magna Dance Theatre and the one that has been doing well for the past year at the Mitambo International Festival, thus the Rising bones: the spirit of Nehanda as well as Nehanda Nyakasikana the legend which has been adopted by regional countries as well as Netherlands.
BWM: How have you grown as a poet and where do you see yourself in the near future as a performing artist?
LM: So, I have grown well in terms of performance as well as audience and platforms that I have performed for example doing welcome poetry for presidium as well as the First Lady’s office be it independently or on behalf of institutions and organisations. I recently performed the welcoming poetry for President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the UZ 41st graduation ceremony and I did the same in 2020 and 2019. In 2015 I won Harare International Carnival contemporary category, won HIFA best theatre script writer 2017, Allied arts best original play 2018, NDAZ people’s choice award 2020 and Green governance Trust slam champion 2021. I also published poems in anthologies such as ‘Mupakwa Werwendo and Chitubu Chenduri, some of them in audio and video format.
BWM: Who writes the poems for you, if you do it yourself take me through the process?
LM: Most of the poems that I recite, they are my own compositions and some of them have been written by other authors and I merely performed and accredited them accordingly. When I write I firstly look at the audience that I have and I write from the audience’s perspective as in what do they want to see, if it was myself seating as an attendee how would I want to see this performance and what do I want to hear from the performer. So I scribble down and I draft, I try to perform it and see how it sounds as well as listen to the mood and try to fit into the mood then I ask friends so that I get a second opinion.
BWM: Shona is your favourite language of delivery. Why?
LM: I love delivering in Shona mostly because there is no point for me to deliver in English when I am performing in my country. It is not only Shona but I am also learning other indigenous languages such as Ndebele as well as Chewa so that my delivery is diversified. What I value is our indigenous languages, why would we further foreign languages when we have got our own beautiful ones so I think my way of delivery shows patriotism as well as much appreciation so if I go to Bulawayo where I know my Ndebele is not do good, I then try to mix Shona and Ndebele as well as a little bit of English for communication prepossesses, but when I know I am performing in Harare and other Shona speaking communities, there is no need for me to use English. In our local languages we find very deep words that when someone listens to them they always fall in love and gets more interested.
BWM: Which techniques do you use to deliver your message?
LM: My poetry is a fusion of narrative poetry and prose mostly tailored for performance than literature so it seeks to advice communities from grassroots to the urban outfitters on issues affecting us such as diseases, climate change GBV among other social pandemics.
BWM: What impact do you want to make as a poet and how do you plan on achieving it?
LM: Speaking of impact when you look at William Shakespeare, he wrote a play Romeo and Juliet in 1565 and up to now it is being celebrated which shows the power of authorship and poetry so I seek to achieve such greatness and have my works published be it in film, drama or stage work and I have already written a several lays that have been staged and got awards. So, I see myself as someone who has already begun implementing my plan to advocate for change through performance.
