MKWAWA - SHUJAA WA MASHUJAA
THE STORY:Chief Mkwawa was an African hero. A great military strategist, he fought and won a historical battle
against the German colonizers in Lugalo in 1891. Seven years later he committed suicide rather than be
captured by the Germans who later beheaded his body and took his skull to Germany where it was stored
in a museum up until 1954. Chief Mkwawa’s story is full of intrigue, suspense, glory filled victories and agonizing
defeats is one of the most important in the African fight against colonialism and western imperialism.
MAIN CAST
(1) Chief Mkwawa – Mutaju Isaac Marobhe
A teacher at the Ardhi institute, this was his first film role and perfectly embodied the spirit of Mkwawa.
(2) Munyigumba (Chief Mkwawa’s father) – Fredrick Nkwera
(3) Tom Von Prince (German Soldier and Mkwawa’s nemesis) – Paul Clithero
A member of the Little Theatre Players he is a veteran of the stage, who along with his wife owns a string
of bookshops in Tanzania.
(4) Young Mkwawa – Godfrey Angelos Augustina
(5) Commander Emil Zelewski (German commander killed at the Lugalo war) – Doug Bramsen
Another member of the Little Theatre Players, he brings talent and wit to the stage and to film roles. He is
father of four, whose whole family is involved in the theatre.
(6) Kilemganga (Mkwawa’s sister) – Asha Ramadhan
(7) Mwambambe (Mkwawa’s brother in Law) – Ian Balegele
(8) Magdalene Von Prince – Sarah Scott
A producer herself, she has had roles in BBC productions as an actress and plays a small pivotal role in
the Mkwawa documentary.
SHUJAA WA MASHUJAA
MAIN CREW
Producer/Director – Seko Tingitana
Managing Director of Alkemist Media, she has over 12years of experience in Tanzanian media. As
a Producer, she has a keen sense of what resonates with an audience. During her tenure as Head
of Programming at East Africa Television (2005 – 2008) she oversaw the inception and
production of milestone shows such as 5 Live!, Ze Comedy, Friday Night Live and Nirvana. Since
she started Alkemist Media in 2008, she has been instrumental in getting Tanzanian stories on
international television screens, producing news stories for CNN international, ABC networks in
the US and the BBC in the UK. She has a Finance and Media background, graduating from
Marymount Manhattan College in New York City with a Bachelor in Science.
Director Of Photography/ Camera – David Sevuri
Managing Director of True Vision Production, David has been active on the Tanzanian media
scene since 1995. For the past 16 years he has produced and directed various projects for local
and foreign entities including The History Channel, CNN International, Local Tanzanian Ministries
and NGOs, ITV as well as worked on feature films including winning “Best Cinematography” at
the Risasi awards.
Production Manager – Josiah Murunga
Josiah Murunga is a veteran of Tanzania Media having worked at Clouds Fm, East Africa radio
and eventually as a production manager at East Africa Television. He was the Production
manager for the channel and also produced the critically acclaimed ‘Planet Bongo” and many live
productions. Apart from his work on the Mkwawa documentary he also produces the hit talk
show for FEMA.
Editor - Nick Marwa
Nick Marwa has over a decade of experience editing documentaries and television shows and
brings his unique training and experience to the Mkwawa documentary. He has worked for Reel
to Real productions and East Africa Television amongst others.
Post-Production and special effects manager – Momose Cheyo
American trained Momose, was responsible for making the documentary come together. He
coordinated the battles, all of the special effects and post-production look and feel of the
documentary. An expert at Adobe “after effects”, “colorista” and other post-production
programs, he brought the documentary to life.
The production:
After three months of intense research and another two months of writing the script, the crew
built a Hehe village in Kibaha, where they shot the principal photography. They then moved to
Iringa where they finalized the rest of the shots against the staggeringly beautiful Iringa
landscape, making the documentary as authentic as possible.
Interesting fact: The Mkwawa death scene was actually shot at the exact place where Mkwawa died and where he is buried today in Mlambalasi, Iringa.
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