LISTERNING to Sewelo (Play), a Nyanja Radio drama on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC)’s Radio 1 aired on Thursday nights will crack your ribs.
Sewelo remains the best radio drama in Zambia, at least by this column’s observation based on the following points; all actors sound natural, the entire play comes out as actualities around a real scene and has intriguing topics.
Maybe the only time Sewelo’s performance would be average is when the cast plays promotional topics of sensitisation nature that are kind of restrictive for their free expressions.
A fortnight ago, in a play centred on a church, one church member, Gadabwa lied to a pastor of Congolese origin that his members were planning to crucify him like Jesus was.
Gadabwa also lied to a female member that she should not allow her fiancé touch her waist purporting he had charms while to the man that his fiancée had sores around her waist.
With such a lie, dramatic was a time when the pastor met his members and ran away fearing they would crucify him, a female member protested when her fience tried to touch her, Gadabwa was exposed when everyone confirmed he originated those lies.
If the above narrative sounds comical, hearing it on radio in audio by the Patrick Magolo Memorial theatre can be exhilarating.
***
ZNBC’s Kodi Mziba (Do you know…), another Nyanja current affairs news update on Radio 1 should have credited the story to the Sunday Times for the story they read which was exclusively in this publication.
This was a story about a 21-year old Lusaka woman who reported her 23-year-old husband to human rights activists for forcing her and another woman to share one bed.
The story was told as was written in the newspaper, except it was told in ci-Nyanja on air.
RCV
Fortune Nyondo’s latest single, ‘Nkalolela ubulayo bwenu’ (I will wait upon your promise) only plays on Radio Christian Voice (RCV) so far.
It is an inspiring piece of music that like his previous releases could win the charts, only if it is widely played even on other radio stations.
SUN FM
It was on Sun FM where upcoming song bird, Wezi featured live with Dominic on guitars, she sounded as live in the studio as she did during her performance at the Trade Fair early this month.
Very rare do listeners get to hear musicians perform live on radio, and sometimes the sound is not good when they are featured.
PHOENIX
Levy Sakala, previously of the Sakala brothers had a song from his album Hymns pa Chipostoli with a Matero church choir sampled on Radio Phoenix last week.
From the Makewane music he played with Moses for decades, his newly found gospel genre is just as impressive, not knowing what dance he has adopted to accompany that touch.
***
After two weeks of absence, Karen Nakawala accounted herself well as she uncompromisingly dropped her best selection of music.
She was at her best going by listeners who phoned, sent short-text-messages to acknowledge her selection, others, in fact confessed to have been glued to the radio in order not to miss out.
***
This column wondered why Phoenix news kept referring to UPND’s Moomba Member of Parliament Vitalis Mooya as a qualified civil engineer whenever they quoted him.
Last week, however, was opportune moment when Mr Mooya bemoaned the construction of drainages in his constituency, but they did not.
That news segment should have read; “Moomba Constituency MP Vitalis Mooya is not happy with the quality of drainages being done in his constituency. Mr Mooya, as a civil engineer noted poor workmanship.”
Unlike when he is quoted as a qualified engineer anyhow, this time, he was speaking against the backdrop of his experience on the subject at hand.
TIPS
We look at how auditions ought to be organised, that they should be properly organsed and held once every two or three months.
About eight people-certainly a maximum of ten-should be invited to attend. The organising producer should seek the co-operation of other producers in forming with him an auditioning panel so that an average can be taken of the impressions of several listeners.
The auditionees should be invited to bring material of their own, although audition scripts, either short scenes from dramas or specially written scenes, should also be available. These scripts should give the actor an opportunity to show his ability in different roles-romantic, formal, tragic and so on.
The studio should be curtained off from the control cubicle for auditions so that judgements will be based on sound rather than on appearance.
The auditioners should note their impressions on a report sheet (an example is given as Appendix r to this manual).
The form of reporting should be such as to permit the auditioner to note immediately his fist impression about the type of character suggested by the auditionee’s voice.
We are all inclined to gain an impression of a person from his speaking voice. The impression needs to be immediate and strong in radio drama if we are to avoid mistakes in casting.
Casting errors in radio make nonsense of what might otherwise have been a good play. There is nothing quite as absurd as a woman with a mature and rounded voice heard in the character of a teen-age girl or a softly spoken and light-voiced man playing the part of someone in authority. The voice must suit the character.
The audition has this dual purpose-to separate usable from unusable microphone talent and to build up a talent register of characters.
We first concern ourselves with age-what age does the voice suggest? A young person old? How young, how old? Does it suggest a romantic person or a motherly or fatherly person? Does it suggest someone who is meek, or does it suggest someone in authority who is used to giving orders and having them obeyed?
MULTICHOICE NEWS FLASH
DStv’s
SuperSport wins rights to 50 Afcon qualifiers
For the first time, DStv’s SuperSport has bought pay broadcast rights to all 50 CAF Afcon 2015 qualifiers.
The qualifiers, which run over six weekends, begin in early September and continue through November ahead of the Afcon tournament in Morocco in January.
A minimum of seven games, all in High Definition, will be broadcast on match weekends.
Coverage will include all six home and away games featuring defending champions Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Angola and Zambia.
Up to two-thirds of matches featuring Uganda, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho and Tanzania will also be broadcast.
Towards the latter part of qualification, games featuring African giants Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Algeria will also be featured on the World of Champions.
Dates and times are to be confirmed by the Confederation of African Football. SuperSport plans to broadcast games on SS3, SS4, SS5, SS7 and the corresponding HD channels.
The matches will be broadcast in all SuperSport’s Sub-Saharan territories, with rights also available on multi-platforms: streaming, DVBH, Catch Up and VOD.
SuperSport’s selections for Match Day 1 (September 5 and 6):
Sudan v South Africa; Nigeria v Congo/Rwanda; Gabon v Angola; Ghana v Uganda/Equatorial Guinea; Zambia v Tanzania/Mozambique; Burkina Faso v Lesotho.
This week’s SuperSport coverage on the Copperbelt.
Week 20 Sunday, August 17, 2014, Konkola Stadium, Chililabombwe
Nchanga Rangers FC Vs Red Arrows FC
Konkola Mine Police  Vs National Assembly FC
For comments, observations and contributions; jackmwewa@gmail.com – 0955115777