Veteran TZ Actress pays it forward 'Act with Monalisa'

By +Caroline Anande Uliwa

She is a household name as an actress in Tanzania, who has been in the business for over 15 years. Yvonne Cherrie Hamisi better known as Monalisa following a character she played in a drama series back the in 90’s.

This Oct 6^th at the national museum headquarters in Dar es Salaam, working with partners to include her own managing team and members of TAFF- the African Film Festival from the USA.  

Launched a mentorship program for actresses titled ‘Act with Monalisa’. 

The launch ceremony had the Deputy Minister of Information, Culture Arts and Sports Hon Juliana Shonza as the guest of honor. It was a heartwarming affair particularly for the chosen top 50 young actresses, many of whom were headlining a red carpet event for the first time.

“For a long time Monalisa has had this dream to mentor young actresses in this business. She always told me she would like to see a batch of actresses even after she’s aged, that are carrying the baton being successful actresses in Tanzania. Who have been mentored by her as part of her legacy.” Susan Lewis a.k.a Natasha Monalisa’s mother, a veteran actress herself tells us on what inspired Monalisa to venture into this project.

Monalisa left next to the Hon Deputy Minister of
Art & Culture Juliana Shonza
at the launch of the 'Act with Monalisa' program inside
the National Museum earlier this month in Dar es Salaam

After placing a call through her social media platforms (on Instagram alone Monalisa has over 1.8 million followers); asking young actresses across the country. To come audition and stand a chance to be among fifty actresses mentored for three weeks by Monalisa and other veterans in the film industry of Tanzania.

This to include Lecturer (creative arts department University of Dar es Salaam), film director and current Chairperson of the Board of TGNP (Tanzania Gender Networking Program Dr Vicencisa Shule; Monalisa’s own mentor veteran actress Susan Lewis; Mr Issa Mbura filmmaker and lecturer at Tanzanisa School of Journalism and Mass Communications as well as Teen Psychologist Sadaka Mtuka Gandhi better known as Aunt Sadaka to mention a few.

The response was thousands of girls turning up for auditions in Dar es Salaam come early August inside the National Museum. Who were very eager to learn and be in the business https://www.instagram.com/actwithmonalisa/.

Among the top 50 actresses chosen for the first mentorship program
of 'Act with Monalisa' present at the launch ceremony
inside the National Museum House of Culture
in Dar es Salaam earlier this month

“I chose girls because myself I am a womb bearer who has been in the film business for a long time. I therefore know the challenges young women in this business go through, in the quest to follow their dreams. 

When I was coming up I didn’t get enough mentorship so I thought at the level I am today, why not take this opportunity to mentor girls in this business.” Monalisa shares why she picked girls for this program.

Together with her team they managed to break down thousands of young actresses to 100 and finally to a top 50 batch, that were present at this launch ceremony. Which had celebrities like Singer Songwriter Banana Zorro grace the stage.https://www.musicinafrica.net/directory/banana-zorro-b-band

“We didn’t expect the Hon Deputy minister Juliana to grace our event...You see back in our days the public didn’t have as much access to films in the international market, we as well went through training particularly our involvement in theatre productions strengthened our craft. 

Singer, songwriter Banan Zorro inside the launch of
'Act with Monalisa' in Oct-2018 at the
National Museum

Today with the wave of social media and big access to foreign film for the masses, competition is fierce in this business particularly for young girls. So we are happy to get this chance to instill education in these young ladies, from how they should interact with the media strengthen their networks in the industry. To the flipside of fame and how to best handle it etcetera.” Susan Lewis shares on what she expects to accomplish with her daughter inside this mentorship program.

Speaking with Monalisa’s manager Masafa we learned that the program has been approached for television but so far no network has claimed it. Currently the program is going on inside CDEA https://www.facebook.com/CDEAORG/offices in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam. This during the weekends as many of the 50 chosen actresses are students and were only available during the weekend, it is expected to continue till early December this year.