Who is Aisha Mwajumlah?
Aisha is a young Muslim lady who believes that, if you haven’t tried to do something then you have no right to say, or even think, that it’s impossible.
How did losing your parents at a young age make you the person you are today?
That made me very strong. Being the last born, I realised that I have to work harder and be very disciplined every day, because I am on my own. My older siblings have their own families so I have no room for silly mistakes. I guess that’s why people say I am strict and very straight forward.
When did you start acting and why?
I started performing on stages when I was still in primary school. I first performed in a skit. I felt the actor was not doing the role justice, so I asked the teacher to allow me to show her how I thought it should be done, and that’s how the role became mine. I have been acting ever since, though not consistently. Acting has been my scapegoat; it helps me deal with my emotions and putting things into perspective.
Can you say being a journalist has helped you in what you do?
It’s actually the other way round, acting made me a better journalist. I started acting way before I became a journalist. I even decided do journalism because of it. Now that I am almost done with my degree, some units in school are just putting somethings into perspective and I understand acting more.
How did you land your role in “Watatu”?
When I was doing my certificate course in 2011 I also started working for SAFE (Sponsored Arts For Education) Pwani; it’s an organisation that does community awareness using mobile theatre.
“Watatu”was one of the plays we performed to the coastal people to provoke dialogue along the issue of violent extremism. I was playing two roles in the stage play; a sister to the main character and the narrator/mediator of the story. And that’s how I ended up doing the two roles in Watatu the film.
Tell us about your role in “Pete”?
I play Nimimi, Mbura’s wife. Mbura is the first son to Chief Dalu who dies in the second episode of the show. After Chief Dalu dies Mbura feels it is his right to be the next Chief (Kiongozi) as the first born even though, on his death bed, Chief Dalu insinuated that Jasiri should lead after him.
As the wife, Nimimi feels that her husband is being unreasonable and that Jasiri should indeed lead the people of Funzi. It is only Nimimi who can put him in check.
Nimimi’s marriage is also challenged. They have been married for almost 10 years and they still have no child. It is now becoming a bigger problem because as Mbura eventually becomes the “kiongozi” he now more than ever really needs a successor.
What can you say is the difference between the entertainment industry at the coast and in Nairobi?
Mombasa is yet to be explored. However, with TV stations like Maisha Magic East promoting local content and helping viewers see programs like “Maza” and “Pete”, many producers and filmmakers can see the potential in Mombasa. As an artiste, I wouldn’t mind working in Nairobi. I have done a radio drama, “Jongo Love”, as Amani, which was produced by Well Told Stories, a production house in Nairobi.
