Actor Nkanyiso Kunene says he is thrilled to be featuring in two prime time shows, 1Magic’s “The River” and Mzansi Magic’s “uZulu noMhlaba”.
Kunene is set to make his debut in the new maskandi drama series “uZulu noMhlaba” this month, and is also playing Zakhele, the young lover of Kedibone aka Rakagadi, (Tsholofelo Matshaba) in the award-winning telenovela, “The River”.
In “uZulu no Mhlaba” Kunene will play the role of the young Mfecane alongside maskandi icon Bheki Ngcobo, popularly known as Ihhashi Elimhlophe, and Ayanda Borotho and Phindile Gwala.
The 13-episode drama premiered on Sunday, October 30. It tells the story of two maskandi artists who engage in a brutal feud over music, only to discover they are more closely linked than they could have imagined.
The series explores two generations of maskandi musicians, fathers and their sons, and each generation’s musical – and personal – rivalry.
Having come from very different backgrounds but with a shared passion for maskandi music, Zulu and Mhlaba turn into bitter rivals when they inherit a feud held by their respective fathers.
“I play a character called young Mfecane and the older Mfecane is played by legendary ubab Ernest Ndlovu. I’m truly honoured to play the younger version of ubab Ndlovu in this historical drama series,” Kunene told IOL Entertainment.
Kunene said although he was originally from KwaZulu-Natal, slipping into the role of young Mfecane was challenging because he needed to do a lot of research on the history of maskandi music, the Zulu language and its culture.
“This role was a tough one to be quite frank. I'm from uMlazi, my Zulu is not the same as the Zulu from Ulundi. They speak raw Zulu. So I did a lot of research for the role.
“Viewers will also witness my singing talent – there are scenes in the show where I sing maskandi, which is also exciting because I come from the world of theatre, so this role is like a full-circle moment for me.”
Elaborating on his role as Zakhele, he said: “The production came to Durban to do the audition for the Hlophe family … it’s a new family that was introduced in the show, I think earlier in the year.”
Although he didn’t make a cut for one of the Hlophe family members, he made a good enough impression because a few months later, he was called to audition for role of Zakhele.
“Zakhele is Rakgadi’s Ben 10. Zakhele is a miner and Rakgadi is in HR. There is an age gap but the chemistry between the two is too powerful.
“It is an honour really to play alongside big shots like usis Tsholofelo. It’s been an exciting journey and I have learnt a lot from her and other cast members.”
Kunene’s career kicked off as a pantsula dancer. His passion for pantsula led him to Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre where was introduced to several dance genres, under the guidance and leadership of award-winning choreographer Jay Pather.
His experience as a performer earned him the honour of becoming one of the founding members of The Playhouse Dance Residency in 2012, where he worked alongside dancers Adele Blank, the late Christopher Kindo, David Matamela, David Gouldie, Mark Hawkings, Sean Bovim and Somizi Mhlongo.
In 2014, he co-founded the Phakama Dance Theatre, a company that runs training and outreach programmes for the local communities.
“The programmes are mainly for kids with special needs to help them communicate, interact, and build confidence through dance,” he said.
Phakama scooped the Standard Bank Ovation Award at the Grahamstown Arts Festival, in 2015, for a production titled “If The World Was Listening”, choreographed by Sandile Mkhize and Kunene.
In 2016, Kunene played lead dancer and puppeteer in Janni Young’s adaptation of “The Firebird” which toured five states in the US.
In 2018, he performed in Gibson Kente’s “How Long”.
He has also appeared in “Imbewu” and “Umkhokha”.
Kunene is now working on a documentary film that “speaks of performing artists, about their backgrounds and how they’ve grown and learnt from the art and how it has impacted their families”.
“The River” airs on 1Magic (DStv Channel 103) on week nights at 8pm and “uZulu no Mhlaba” on Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161) on Sundays at 8pm.
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