Susan Chenjerai

Actress

Belonging to that golden generation of theatre practitioners who practised what was then known as sketches (skits) that usually spiced musical performances, Susan Chenjerai was, before abandoning the arts arena an actor and musician par excellence.

She is well known for portraying the famous “Mai Rwizi” character that entertained people through music and acting in the drama series Mhuri yaVaMukadota. The character Mai Rwizi in the Mukadota comedy series was very popular for family viewing even to this day. The comedy series remains classic even today. A veteran of the showbiz sphere from the early 1950s, Susan Chenjerai during her heydays exhibited that rare talent in both music and acting (drama).

She joined Safirio Madzikatire aka Mukadota‘s band Safe Brothers in 1969. Before joining the Safe Brothers she was part of the Bantu Actors in 1951 and with Marandellas Bush Babies in 1958. She also worked with big names such as the Wagon Wheels, a band where she met Oliver Mtukudzi before working with Mukadota. From the early 1950s up until she retired from the acting/music scene she was at the peak of her trade, particularly acting.

The character Mai Rwizi left an everlasting mark in the minds of drama/theatre consumers around the nation. With the aplomb of a veteran that she was during her acting and music career, Susan Chenjerai portrayed the character Mai Rwizi who was Mukadota’s wife with exceptional finesse.

The character Mai Rwizi was portrayed in Mhuri yekwaMataka and later, Mhuri yaVaMukadota, two drama productions that were extremely popular with audiences and are proving to be immortal even to this day.

Since the time she retired from the arts, Susan is revered in the arts sector as one of the first female actresses to foray into the music jungle where she worked with big names such as the Wagon Wheels, a band where she met superstar Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi before working with the late comedian Safirio Madzikatire as earlier alluded to above.

The fact that she worked with late legends like Dr Oliver Mtukudzi and Safirio Madzikatire speaks volumes about the aesthetic that she is endowed with. By venturing into the male-dominated musical/acting sphere then, replete with patriarchic leanings, she displayed utter resolve and determination to pursue her passion in music and later acting whatever consequences coming from society.

During her active years in the performing arts genre, women were highly discouraged to venture into music let alone acting.

The arts, music and acting, in particular, were generically regarded as areas for people of loose morals, women in particular. She rode the storm and in the process paved the way for other women artists who are emulating her in the highly competitive music and acting arena.

Her role in arts development was recognized through the NAMA award that was bestowed on her, a lifetime achievement in the art of acting in particular.

The development of music and acting in Zimbabwe can never be narrated without mentioning Susan Chenjerai aka Mai Rwizi. That revered character Mai Rwizi remains even today highly educational and informative in-so-far-as it relates to the role of the female folk in a family set-up, a black family in particular. —NACZ.