JOSIAH KIBIRA UNIVERSITY

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By ABDULWAKIL SAIBOKO, 13th March 2010 @
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292PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete led hundreds of well-wishers to raise 706.5m/- for the construction of a university in Kagera Region challenging universities in the country to invest in science programmes. The charity dinner for the construction of proposed Josiah Kibira University College (JoKUCo) of Tumaini University was held in Dar es Salaam on last night. “I am glad to hear that the college will prioritise science in education courses. This will increase teachers in the field which is facing an acute shortage,” he said. Mr Kikwete noted that the problem of science teachers was shared by both developed and developing countries but admitted that the country’s situation was worse than others in Africa. “Our children do not like science subjects and statistics show that less than 30 per cent of students at secondary level prefer studying science. The percentage is too small compared to other countries in the continent,” he said. President Kikwete noted that following his talks with the former United States president, George W. Bush and later with the incumbent, Barack Obama, the government was expecting to receive many science teachers from US this year than ever before. “The problem of science teachers cannot be solved through such programmes, we need to train our own science teachers,” he said, adding that the government would employ all the teachers graduating in the country. He commended the TU management for fast growth despite being the youngest university. “The move is commendable, we have 22 private universities in the country so far and when this starts we shall have 23. It is also important to note here that it will be the first in Kagera Region,” he said. President Kikwete promised continuous support to the universities in the country saying that he felt very pleased and honoured to be invited in such events. Earlier, the Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Prof. Jumanne Maghembe said Tumaini University was now the giant university in the country with six associate universities and JoKUCo becoming the seventh. “In 2005 we had 55,500 university students, the number has increased to 105,000 this year out of which Tumaini Univesity alone has 8,500,” he said. Prof. Maghembe said the government was moving hand in hand with the private sector and that with its newly established University of Dodoma (UDOM) it has admitted over 17,000 students and that the number is expected to rise to 25,000 next academic year. The TU’s Chancellor, Bishop Alex Malasusa said the university was committed to offer not only degrees but quality ones. “We train them to be honest and God fearing and we believe that they can be good workers. We want to produce a hot cake product in the labour market,” he said. He said that the JoKUCo would be operating on the premises of Bukoba Lutheran Teacher’s College that was established in July 2007 and is expected to start in October, this year. The budgetary requirements to enable the university take off are projected at 1.3bn/-.

BONGOLAND II THIS FRIDAY IN LA - See details

Bongoland  II - "There is no place like home"  will be screened this Friday at the Panorama in LA. This is part of the PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL.

 

The screening will take place at 1:00 PM. (February 6th)

Next Screen dates: 

February 13 8:45 PM (Next Friday)

February 16th 7:15 PM.

 

Below are more details if you are planning to attend:

GET DETAILS HERE

SCREENING GUIDE BY COUNTRY

PRESS RELEASE

TANZANIA IN in PAFF - LOS ANGELES - Next Month

Bongoland  II - "There is no place like home"  will represent Tanzania in the upcoming PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL in Los Angeles next month. This is Kibira Films third selection to this film festival.

 

The movie will be shown at  the Panorama on the following dates:

February 6th 1:00 PM 

February 13 8:45 PM 

February 16th 7:15 PM.

 

Below are more details if you are planning to attend:

GET DETAILS HERE

SCREENING GUIDE BY COUNTRY

PRESS RELEASE

BONGOLAND II - UK PREMIERE - OCTOBER 30!

Bongoland II will be screened in Edinburgh Scotland on October 30th. The venue is Filmhouse Cinema Edinburgh. This is part of the Africa-in-motion film festival which starts on October 23rd through November 2nd.

Please make sure to mark your calendars for this special and rare occasion. As far as we know it is the first Swahili movie be shown in Scotland. The movie has English subtitles.

Please spread the word tell the world - Bongoland II is coming!

For details of the venue and other films showing at the festival CLICK HERE

Bongoland II is available on DVD - to order click here

BONGOLAND II'S CHICAGO PREMIERE IN AUGUST

BONGOLAND II is coming to Chicago. The movie will premiere in the state on August 5th and August 20th. Both shows will be at 6:15 PM.The venue for this premiere is at Gene Siskel Film Center - 164 North Street, Chicago, IL 60601

Read more about this movie at Kibira Films Official Web site.

Also you can see BONGOLAND II trailers - See below:

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

BONGOLAND II DVD - An Update

We have been busy getting ready to release BONGOLAND II on DVD. We are getting closer and closer...the date that we have planned to release the DVD is July 15th. More details to come.

We are also proud to announce that Bongoland II was officially selected for the Zanzibar International Film Festival and the Black Harvest International Festival this is in Chicago. Both of these film festivals will take place in the month of July. We are confident that there will be more festivals to come where you can possibly watch Bongoland II.

Please watch the blog to see how you can pre-order your new DVD.


In the meantime, we are working on two new projects. A documentary about the relationships between Africans and African Americans and a love story drama by a cast of mainly actors from Kenya. It is a Kenyan story by all measures.

Do you have to have seen the original Bongoland to follow Bongoland II

A common question is constantly asked whether you need to have seen the first Bongoland movie to follow the story in Bongoland II. The answer is NO.

If you want a quick independent review which tries to connect the two movies, here is an account from Kassim Mwitondi which was written in 2004 after Kassim saw the original Bongoland.

Flying so close to the sun in wings of feather and wax...

Author: Kassim Mwitondi from Leeds, England - 11 July 2004

The fate of Juma Pondamali (name carefully chosen probably to honour one of Bongoland's all-time goal-keeping legends) epitomises an experience that remains deeply buried in the minds of a lot of people who have struggled (some unsuccessfully) to brighten their future by penetrating the corridors of success in foreign lands for many years.

Getting money, securing a well-paid job, paying rent, winning a relationship, supporting parents and relatives, traveling to Bongoland, owning a beautiful car, house, buying an air ticket, tube ticket, nike trainers and many more are only a few fields characterising a typical Bongolander's database table at any given moment be it in metropolitan Tokyo, suburban Stockholm or central Milan.

Particularly to those who ever took the bull by the horns as young graduates trying to "gate-crash" into the western labour market, Bongoland will have brought old memories flooding back. Juma Pondamali portrays a brave personality as he refuses to accept a low status amidst limited options. To some he may have flown too close to the sun in wings of feather and wax - but presumably he doesn't plunge to his death by retreating back to Bongoland. With his education as an asset surely Juma will live to fight another day.

How many qualified doctors, engineers and other professionals from the developing world remain trapped in the west today - most earning a living as taxi drivers, plumbers and even cleaners and how many of them have the audacity to "voluntarily" board a plane heading Bongoward?

I watched the movie and would like to follow and track Juma's progress in Bongoland. May be the Kibira's will bring him up again - either as a successful consultant sought by a number of American financial institutions, a well-established Bongo executive or probably (and God forbid) a frustrated common man drowning in alcohol and drugs.

POST PRODUCTION UPDATE

WHERE ARE WE WITH THE EDITING?
We have now completed the rough cut and we are moving towards the final cut of the movie. It has been a long process but we are trying to leave no stone un-turned. We are also adding the subtitles to the footage as it takes shape. We hope that the time invested up-front will pay off in the end with high a quality story.
Right now we think that sometime at the end of this month we will have the final cut and start scheduling premieres.

BILANTANYA IN BONGOLAND II?
Yes. He came from the dead. It is movie magic after all. Fundi Kibwana returns as a News anchor from BONGOTV a popular TV station in Bongoland. As you probably recall, Fundi was one of the leading actors of our last movie “TUSAMEHE”. His fans will surely be delighted to see him alive.

BEHIND THE SCENES IMAGES
Please follow this link to see additional images from the “Making of Bongoland”
CLICK HERE to view the slide show.

HAPPY GRADUATION!

Our hats off to brother Gervas Kasiga. On this occasion he was graduating from the University of Dar-es-salaam with a bachelor’s degree in Fine and Performing Arts.

Kasiga is an up and coming movie director and producer from Tanzania. He was a casting director for Bongoland II…and in fact he did much more than that for the production Bongoland II.

He has participated in many movie projects in Tanzania while he was studying at the Dar University. Very recently he has completed directing a new movie titled “Fake Pastors” which was releases in Tanzania last month. This movie was shot in Dar-es-salaam.

He is well respected among his peers in the growing movie industry in Tanzania.

Hongera Sana mzee!

MORE INFO ON BONGOLAND II HERE

BONGOLAND II - Frequently Asked Questions

Where was the movie filmed?
Shot in Dar-Es-salaam in, Tanzania. Tanzania is located in East Africa and it is roughly the size of Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Lake Superior combined. The film crew stayed in Tanzania for about 35 days.

Why Tanzania?
Because Kibira Films is dedicated to making movies which incorporate Swahili, and what better place to be than Tanzania. Swahili is a language that is spoken by over 100 million people worldwide, yet there are very few movies represented in Film Festivals utilizing it. It is a national language of Tanzania, and let the truth be told, the director is from Tanzania.

Who sponsored the project?
Kibira Films International along with few friends.

What is the release date for Bongoland II?
Early 2008. The initial plans are to premiere in several cities at the same time, showcasing the movie in various film festivals.

How was UCLA connected to the project?
UCLA has a Swahili program as well as an International Studies department and a film school. This summer (2007) they wanted to add an element of being abroad where students could learn Swahili culture and incorporate that into filmmaking experience. Some students were film students, but not all.

What is the director’s experience?
Bongoland II is his third movie. See the site for the previous movies.

What was the experience in Tanzania like?
If you can make a movie in Tanzania, you can make a movie anywhere. There were some challenges but nothing earth shattering. Africa is not for sissies! You have to be ready to acclimatize very quickly and have unshakable focus. It was a challenge to some crew members, but overall the experience was great.

Who wrote the script for Bongoland II?
The script was written by Josiah Kibira who also directed and produced the movie.

How do you measure your success?
At the end of the day the answer has to be an unequivocal YES to this question - ‘Did we achieve what we set out to accomplish?” We ask this question in each phase. Pre-production phase, production and now in post production. ..This is work in progress. The earlier two phases were YES(s).

What was the size of Bongoland II’s crew?
There was about 18 – 20 crew members. That includes the crew from America, one from Canada and some from Tanzania.

Where is Bongoland?
Bongoland is a fictitious country created for the movie. Generally, most people think that it is in reference to Tanzania but that was not the whole intention of the writer. Bongoland was supposed to represent an African country. This could be anywhere in Africa. The experience from the main character is something which affects many people…whether they are from Africa or not. Any foreigner living in Europe, United States or elsewhere can relate to the experience. So, if you are from Spain living in the US, then Spain is your Bongoland as you go through life in the US.

Will the movie be shown in Africa?
Yes. When the time is right.

When will the movie come out on DVD?
The movie will first have to go through a series of film festivals. At the same it will be screened several cities around the United States and possibly Europe. After the festival run and the theatrical screening, then DVDs will be issued. The approximate date for that is between April and May 2008.

What cities are being considered for the screening?
We currently have these cities: Minneapolis/St Paul, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Columbus, Los Angeles and New York. This is what is planned. If you want your city to be considered please send information to info@kibirafilms.com

what are the next plans?
Two scripts are being developed right now. One for a feature film covering issues related to a Kenyan community in the United States, and the other one for an animated feature…in Swahili of course.

Will there be a Bongoland III?
We are not sure at this point. But there is an outline and a story line already developed for the story. We are not sure if it will develop into a movie.

Will there be another shoot in Africa in the future? If so, where?
Yes. There will definitely be another shoot in Africa. At this point, no particular country has been decided upon. Most of this will also depend on how well Bongoland II is accepted by the wider audience.

How can one be considered for future projects?
Keep watching cast calls from Kibira Films. Also you can send an email to info@kibirafilms.com to be added to a mailing list.

Is previous experience necessary to be considered?
No and yes. It all depends on the part. However, 90% of getting any job is showing up, 10% percent is being ready. If you are well prepared, there is a good chance you will get the part. Just show up at the casting calls and strut your stuff.

More information visit www.kibirafilms.com

BONGOLAND II Mzee Kipara Tanzania's Acting Icon!

With the success of twenty to thirty something artists in Tanzania, it is easy to forget that even before Bongo Flava or YouTube and, even the Internet for that matter - Mzee Kipara was there. When we went to film Bongoland II in Dar, the casting director - Gervas Kasiga told me that he found a perfect old man to play the imam in the movie. He then said - once you hear his voice you will know who he is. And, sure enough, once I heard him I recognized his voice immediately. Mzee Kipara is a veteran actor who worked for Radio Tanzania for many years. He was part of the talented cast that was heard weekly in thrilling radio drama productions.

As a kid growing up in Bukoba, the radio reception was never clear, and so sometimes all we could hear were pieces of an argument between two characters and the unmistakable deep voice of Mzee Kipara in most cases playing an elder, a teacher, or a grandfather.

I was looking forward to meeting Mzee Kipara, and the casting was to take place at the University of Dar. We arrived there a bit late due to "foleni" - traffic jam...and ,no, it was NOT rush hour. Mzee Kipara was already waiting, so I went straight to talk to him. It was a hot day and Mzee Kipara was sitting by a wall smoking his unfiltered cigarette. I stretched my hand to greet him, he shook it and looked at me for a second, took a puff of his cigarette, and said "marhaba bwana"....hello. He asked if I was one of the people having the cast call. When I said yes, He said "You are late...you will make me late for my afternoon prayers at the mosque." I apologized, and we moved into a room and started the casting process.

Gervas had already briefed him about the character and so he started asking me several questions. Then he asked about the characters playing opposite him. I told him about "Juma"...and he asked me to get Juma and started. Before Juma could start, he started quizzing him and telling him how to deliver his lines, what mood he should be in, and what facial expression he should have. Then they started acting out a scene.

I told Gervas immediately, "We have the imam!" Just right then, I knew we had a star amongst us. Mzee Kipara not only brought the aura of stardom, but he was extremely helpful. Most of the actors would listen to what he had to say and follow it, even if it was contrary to what I was saying. Most of them would tell me he has been around he knows what he is talking about. There was no argument from me.

Mzee Kipara is now retired, but he is still very active in the acting community. He does some radio occasionally and some acting in various locally produced movies. He told me that he has been “there” since day one. By this he was referring that he was part of the cast of one of the oldest film ever produced in Tanzania called “Fimbo Ya Mnyonge” in the late sixties. I could immediately detect a sense of pride as his face came alive with an authoritative glare.
In Bongoland II, Mzee Kipara performed beyond our expectations. His timing was perfect and he even added some spice to the scenes. We were extremely privileged to have him in this movie.

As I was looking at the pictures from various blogs covering the final farewell of the late Mzee Kaduma (Another Tanzanian acting veteran), I was struck by how little I knew about Mzee Kaduma. I was not sure if this was because of lack of coverage of such actors by the local (Tanzanian) media or because of my being uninformed of what is going on in the Tanzanian acting community. Either way, we need to be proud of our veteran actors and be very proactive in documenting their success and share them with the whole world.

As we completed the shoot, Mzee Kipara thanked all of us and lit another cigarette. As he walked off the set, he was immediately surrounded by onlookers, some of who started shouting his name. Politely, he stopped and greeted them.

When the movie comes out, I think you will agree with us that Mzee Kipara is one of the best actors Tanzania has. We are very proud to introduce him to the rest of the world.

BONGOLAND II - Has anyone tested these beers from Tanzania?

JAHAZI ALE


SWIFT KICK

BONGOLAND II - BUSHOKE TO APPEAR AS HIMSELF IN BONGOLAND II

One of the upcoming young musician from Tanzania popularly known as Bushoke will appear as himself in the upcoming movie Bongoland II. The scene which features Bushoke was filmed at Slipway hotel in Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania.
In his young career Bushoke has created a following from his boyish voice and lyrics which address love and social issues like a man whose wife or lover gave birth to kids who were from different races from their dad Bushoke asks - 'What would you have done if this happened to you" - "Ingekuwa wewe ungefanyaje"
In some of his songs Bushoke has teamed up with other East African music giants such as the upcoming female artist; K-Lynn and Chameleone from Uganda to name a few.

See more Bushoke's videos on YouTube.

TUMERUDI SALAMA - USALIMINI

On Saturday, August 4th, we finally all came back...wait one of us was delayed due to some Airline mix-up in New York. But as I write this, he is also home. Thank you very much for putting us in your thoughts and prayers.

Wanted to also share that there are many blogs that are writing about this project...please visit them if you need another perspective of the shoot of the movie in Dar.

http://www.darhotwire.com/maisha/news/2007/06/20/bongoland_ii_ndani_bongo.html

http://issamichuzi.blogspot.com/search?q=Bongoland+II+&x=47&y=12

http://www.africanwomenblogs.com/story.php?

title=Picha+zaidi+za+Bongoland+II+Film+Shoot+Dar+es+Salaam

http://swahilitime.blogspot.com/2007/07/bongoland-ii-manzese.html

http://swahilitime.blogspot.com/2007/07/maendeleo-bongoland-ii.html

Some of these blogs are from our own crew members and some from just reporters...if you need any clarification on anything that you see or read, please let us know.

Ahsante

BONGOLAND II - Dar Auditions - Phase 2

On Tuesday, July 3rd, we will be conducting the last screen tests in Dar for Bongoland II. These auditions are intended for those who got a "green light" in the preliminary auditions that took place in April, 2007.

For a location where these auditions will take place, please contact GERVAS at 0784-687991

BONGOLAND II - Meet Mama Thecla Mjatta - A veteran actress from Tanzania

Thecla Mjatta is a veteran Tanzanian actress. She first stared acting when she was in Teacher’s Training College in Dar es Salaam. She became a household name in Tanzania performing for Radio Tanzania radio plays in the 70’s & 80’s. With the advent of television in Tanzania, she appeared in numerous TV productions. Thecla has also done many stage plays in Tanzania playing memorable characters.

Thecla has also done extensive film work. She was the possessed aunt in Arusi ya Mariamu, and played Zainabu, the wife of the zealous preacher who dies at her husband’s hands in Maangamizi the Ancient One. Most recently she has done work in the films, Mzee Mkude, Tumaini, and Simu ya Kifo.

In Bongoland II, Mama Thecla will play Juma's mom! For more information about our projects please visit our site. Click here

BONGOLAND II - Meet Deus-Alex Ntukamazina

Another cast of Bongoland II.

Above, meet Mr. Deus-Alex Ntukamazina aka DANTU. Deus is a resident of Minneapolis but originally from Tanzania. This will be his debut role. He is very excited to be in the movie and looks forward to face the challange. His love for acting as well as excellent performance in the screen test convinced the movie producers that he will be a strong addition to the cast of Bongoland II.

In Minneapolis, Deus works as a Senior Purchase and Sales Analyst for a major Bank. In his spare time, he is pursuing his Masters in Business Administration.

Deus will play a supporting role as Juma's co-worker.