A new ZBC-TV drama series titled Muzita Rababa, which features musicians Ammara Brown and Mudiwa Hood, has brought the way Zimbabwean churches are run into the spotlight.
Muzita Rababa is co-directed by Michael and Nick Zemura who are also the creators of the drama series Muchaneta which has become arguably the most watched show on ZBC-TV.
The riveting drama series revolves around a popular Zimbabwean bishop — who had two sons called Esau and Jacob as well as a daughter called Zvaitwa — whose sudden death triggers a bitter succession dispute.
After the bishop’s death, his wife (played by veteran actress Jesesi Mungoshi) cooks up a will which enables her son Esau to take over the church.
This is despite the fact that her children were hardly active in the church.
Esau, who is a banker by profession, agrees to be the new bishop much to the chagrin of his wife Hanna (played by Ammara Brown) who wants her husband to take up an attractive job offer in South Africa.
With the founding bishop dead, his scandals begin to unravel including the emergence of his secret wife and children who were based in South Africa.
Muzita Rababa co-director Michael Zemura is confident that the new drama series will encourage Zimbabweans to probe how their churches are run.
“Muzita Rababa is basically intended to be an expose on the Zimbabwean church. Are churches a business? Who owns the church? Who calls the shots? Does the pastor love his wife equally at home and in the church?
“Muzita Rababa is scandal after scandal. In addition to the bishop’s secret children who are emerging on a regular basis, his second son Jacob impregnates a woman who blackmails the church,” Zemura told the Daily News.
Zemura added that Muzita Rababa “is the only Zimbabwean drama series with a deaf actor.”
“I think it’s a first in Zimbabwe. The deaf actor is Martin Rinoona. He plays the role of Solomon who was born out of wedlock by the bishop. We are very serious about including physically-challenged actors and actresses in our drama series,” he said. – Agencies