How did I end up in a movie?

I have been so busy with lots of things, but mostly research and teaching so I haven’t been blogging. We are doing exams this week and next week and then we will have a short three-week vacation before the next semester starts.

A couple of months ago, my friend Peter asked if I would help out with a movie.  He is an actor  and a tour guide, and now a student. He said they needed a “mzungu” woman who could speak Swahili. Mzungu is the word that generally means “white,” but is also used for foreigners from Europe and North America. One of the actors, who does a lot of short films and commercials as a character, Mau Mpemba, came to talk to me about the film and what I needed to do in the film. I didn’t really know what I was getting into, but I figured it would be fun and a new cultural experience. The character of Mau Mpemba is a trickster and the shorts he is in are all comedy and some include animation.

On the afternoon we were going to shoot the film, Peter met us in town to take a daladala (small public mini-bus) to the area where we were going to make the movie. As usual, people looked at us suspiciously because the tourists don’t often ride daladalas. It was tight and full and hot inside. When we got off the daladala at our destination, Mau came to the road and met us and guided us on a dirt road to a house off the main road. It was a very large, beautiful house with three stories and nice balconies on the side. The finishings were very nice. Throughout the afternoon and evening, we met the family who lived there as they wandered through the house. We learned the house belonged to a relative of one of the filming crew.

We sat around for a little bit while they set up lights and fixed a few things in the living room that would be where the first scene took place. Then we started filming. Keith was there and gave advice as we filmed to improve lighting and he also talked about ways to make it more realistic. He had some good insights about what would really happen in a mzungu house in Zanzibar or Tanzania and the relationship between the woman of the household and the staff.

We did many takes and because there was no set script, I had to remember what I said each time and be consistent, especially when they were shooting the other characters, but still collecting my sound for the take. This was especially hard for me in Swahili. I am a visual person and would have remembered it better if I had written it down. But, I think it turned out okay.

I enjoyed my dinner of fish and muffa (a puffy Zanzibari bread) at the very end and then we walked back to the road and got a daladala to return to town.

Even if you don’t speak Swahili, you can understand the gist of the story from the acting. It is a  trickster story where Mau Mpemba tricks me into eating the fish I said I didn’t want and I liked it.

Now that it is on YouTube, people who are familiar with the Mau Mpemba character are watching it and the page views are increasing rapidly (much to my surprise). The other day, I was walking home from work and a security guard stopped me and asked it I could step to the side. I was a little startled and concerned about what I might have done wrong. He said “please wait one minute. I need to show you something on my phone.” This made me suspicious. It took him a few minutes, but he then pulled up the movie on YouTube and asked it that was me. I said yes. He then asked me if I was a famous actress. Of course, I said no, I am a professor, but a friend had asked me if I would help with the film. He then told me that if I needed anything, to just ask. I have walked that way a few times and there has been a different guard, but I was quite shocked that someone recognized me so quickly.

 

Here is the short, if you haven’t seen it based on the link on my Facebook page. Yeye kwa yeye Short Movie

9 comments to How did I end up in a movie?

  1. Jerry Wilson says:

    I’m in awe of this article, thank you for sharing it with us! Upgrade your IT skills with free Questions OMG-OCEB2-FUND100 exam. Wishing you all the best!

  2. Sam West says:

    Fast2test不僅能為那你節約寶貴的時間,還可以讓你安心地參加考試以及順利的通過。Fast2test具有很好的可靠性,在專業IT行業人士中有很高的聲譽。你可以通過免費下載我們的Fast2test提供的部分關於SAP C-THR85-2405考題及答案作為嘗試來確定我們的可靠性,相信你會很滿意的。我對我們Fast2test的產品有信心,相信很快Fast2test的關於SAP C-THR85-2405考題及答案就會成為你的不二之選。你也會很快很順利的通過SAP C-THR85-2405的認證考試。選擇我們Fast2test是明智的,Fast2test會是你想要的滿意的產品。

  3. Eli Bell says:

    APIのAPI-510試験は国際的に認可られます。これがあったら、よい高い職位の通行証を持っているようです。It-Passportsの提供するAPIのAPI-510試験の資料とソフトは経験が豊富なITエリートに開発されて、何回も更新されています。何十ユーロだけでこのような頼もしいAPIのAPI-510試験の資料を得ることができます。試験に合格してからあなたがよりよい仕事と給料がもらえるかもしれません。

  4. Matthew Robinson says:

    Your article is so inspiring, thank you for sharing! Latest test H13-624_V5.0 passing score provides excellent material, and it’s entirely free of charge.

  5. Bill Adams says:

    Die Schulungsunterlagen zur Salesforce MuleSoft-Integration-Architect-I Zertifizierungsprüfung von DeutschPrüfung können Ihnen helfen, Ihren Traum zu realisieren, weil es alle Zertifizierungsantworten zur Salesforce MuleSoft-Integration-Architect-I Prüfung hat. Mit DeutschPrüfung können Sie sich ganz gut auf die Prüfung vorbereiten. Per unsere guten Schulungsunterlagen von guter Qualität können Sie sicher die Salesforce MuleSoft-Integration-Architect-I Prüfung bestehen und eine glänzende Zukunft haben.

  6. John Miller says:

    I’m truly amazed by your article, thank you for your generosity! I’m about to sit my CSCM-001 latest test report exam. Hope I do well!

  7. Phil Bell says:

    여러분은 우리. PassTIP의EMC D-PM-IN-23시험자료 즉 덤프의 문제와 답만 있으시면EMC D-PM-IN-23인증시험을 아주 간단하게 패스하실 수 있습니다.그리고 관련 업계에서 여러분의 지위상승은 자연적 이로 이루어집니다. PassTIP의 덤프를 장바구니에 넣으세요. 그리고 PassTIP에서는 무료로 24시간 온라인상담이 있습니다.

  8. Fred Lee says:

    Your article was amazing, I’m truly grateful for it. The Reliable HPE2-B03 test prep test questions are free for all—your key to a successful career!

  9. Keith Bell says:

    This article is incredible, thank you for sharing such brilliance! The Test C1000-172 tutorials questions were essential to my promotion and salary boost, and today, I’m sharing them with you for free!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *