Jesesi Mungoshi

Actress

Jesesi was born on 7 July 1954 and was married to the late prominent writer Charles Mungoshi and together they had five children. Her acting career began in 1984 in the movie, Inongove Njake Njake.

She made her Television debut in 1989, in the African Journey a two-part television family film by George Bloomfield which also starred Jason Blicker, Katja Blomquist, Allan Jordan, Ulla Mahaka. Jesesi featured in other Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) Television dramas that include Ndabve Zera, Roja, Mainini Francisca, Ngozi and Makunun’unu Maodzamwoyo.

In 1991, she played the lead role in Godwin Mawuru’s film titled, Neria; after the producer of the movie, John Riber saw her on the African Journey, a Canadian TV series.

Her role in Neria opened doors and opportunities for her and she went on to produce her documentaries such as The Mystery of Mt Nyangani, Journey To The Ocean as well as a film titled Rwendo that was made in the United Kingdom. Jesesi also worked on a documentary called Camarada Presidente which is based on the life of the late President of Mozambique, Samora Machel which received a mention in the Dubai International Film Festival.

She was featured in the 1993 short film by Farai Sevenzo titled, Rwendo, starring Yemi Goodman Ajibade, Ben Daniels, Eldinah Tshatedi and Frank Windsor. In 2013, with the help of her sons, Jesesi ventured into book publishing when she launched Mungoshi Press and published her husband’s book “Branching Streams Flow in the Dark”.

Her sons Farai and Charles (Junior) have also published “Behind the Wall Everywhere” and “Candle Light Thoughts” respectively under the family stable. Under her JM Productions, she led the filming of “Makunun’unu Maodzamwoyo” an adaptation of her late husband Charles’book of the same title.

In 2017, she landed a role as “Gogo” in the comedy-romance film, Cook-Off, directed by Tomas Brickhill. The movie which showcased on Netflix in 2020 is the story of a struggling single mother (Anesu) who finds love and good fortune in a TV cooking show contest.

Jesesi Mungoshi plays Anesu’s grandmother, encouraging her to follow her dreams. In Shaina a 2020 movie production, Jesesi teamed up Leroy Gopal, Edmore Sandifolo, Marian Kunonga, and Charmaine Mujeri in an evocative story of a group of friends who encounter life-changing obstacles that mirror the day-to-day challenges faced by many adolescent girls and young women in Zimbabwe.

In a career spanning four decades, Jesesi has bagged numerous local and international awards. She scooped the Outstanding Actress award (Film and Television) for her role in the television sitcom, “Muzita Rababa” at the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) in 2017 and was also honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Great Zimbabwe University in recognition of her contributions to the Zimbabwean film industry in the same year.—NACZ.