By Caroline Uliwa
Sauda’s career has seen her alongside, high profile individuals like Hugh Masekela, Hon Jakaya Kikwete, Mr. Reginald Mengi and Jose Chameleon to mention few. I was curious to uncover her journey, which is how one late morning in Feb, found me sitting on her verandah in Dar es Salaam. While she went inside to brew some lemongrass tea and I kept admiring the artworks on her walls (wood masks, metal sculptures from all over the world). When she got back it was with a thick scrap book, which I quickly learned had news strips, photos, & other little mementos throughout her adult life. So we sat and sipped, as I uncovered the blocks that have built this quiet icon.
Early Years
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| One of Sauda Simba's earliest authored children book. |
Thankfully at the college there were some art students she had made friends with. They introduced her to a theatre group and later through these networks she ended up as lead singer in a small jazz band called ‘Cheza’. This was during the early 80’s; Sauda went on to show me news paper cuttings highlighting decent reviews in local newspapers of her bands performance. Sauda would also go on to perform in a play, a rendition of ‘Three Women’ by Slyvia Plath that as well got reviewed in an Irish newspaper with these words. ‘Christy, Sauda and Patricia Burgess would infuse feeling into their lines without emotional excess; it’s not a primary function of theatre to send one back to the written word. But it’s still a tribute to this production and it generates an interest in examining source material more closely’
Gaining Experience
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| Sauda Simba (middle) with her cast mates inside the TV Serie Jua Kali, currently airing on DSTV |
Sauda had been in Europe for much of her teenage years as her father the late Hon Iddi Simba (former Minister) was posted in the UK, as the resident director for the African Development Bank. So when she finished college her return to Tanzania was after almost a decade of being away, back home her mother had started a company that she thought best to join.“So I went into the family business doing sales and marketing basically. That was going pretty good as a kind of first job, I remember going door to door and really getting to know Dar es Salaam after being away for so long.”
Her time in the family business bore fruit, as soon an opportunity arose where they won the bid to be Macmillan Publisher’s agent in Tanzania. By then it was the mid 80’s, Sauda was placed at the helm of this wing of the company. The job entailing lobbying for Macmillan text books into to the Tanzanian market.
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| Sauda Simba (right) with her daughter Maya Kilumanga |
During her time with Diamond Publishers, Sauda would head to a call and win the audition to become a news anchor at Radio Tanzania, in their international service. “So I started doing that part time, we got picked up in this old rickety thing but it was so much fun. We’d go to the offices and in the canteen there’d be ‘chai ya maziwa & mkate wa siagi’ it was a real time of bonding.” Sauda fondly shares as she forks through her scrap book.
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| Pre School students at Ushindi Primary School in DSM, with their class teacher. Posing for a photo at the debut of this classroom revamp spearheaded by Sauda Smba's efforts through crowd funding |
In 1989 Sauda got married to the diplomat Chabaka Kilumnaga and in 1990 gave birth to her only daughter Maya. She’s currently no longer with Mr Kilumanga, but back then the early nineties saw her travelling again to Russia where Mr Chabaka was stationed. Perhaps from her experience with Diamond Publishers, she landed a job first as a substitute English teacher and later as a full time Kindergarten teacher at the Anglo American School in Moscow. This worked out well for her as her daughter went to the same school and this helped her to acclimatize to the foreign environment which they lived in for almost 5 years.
As a Cooperate professional & Philanthropist
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| The latest children book by Sauda Simba published in 2021 |
This exposure on TV is how many of us got introduced to Ma Sauda, she would soon after be called to work as a PR and Marketing professional inside Tanzania Breweries Ltd. “So one day Aggrey Mareale calls me to come for an interview for the position of PR for TBL I ended up getting the job and this was my start really in working the cooperate space. “ Sauda shares of her time at TBL which saw her as the brand manager for Redds, Konyagi Ice and later Kilimanjaro Lager.
Her experience in PR and Marketing grew as she would go on to work for Barrick Gold and later Africo Resources in DRC Congo in the same capacity. Her experience by the time she returned from the Congo had her starting her own PR/Marketing firm Triniti Promotions which she’s been the director of for over a decade.
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| Sauda Simba reading children stories for the kids at Ushindi Primary pre-school in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam |
While Sauda strengthened her roots in the corporate world, she saw an opportunity to give back in an area she is passionate about. When during her work in a small village of Mdokonyole in Morogoro, seeing kids sitting on a log for a classroom!“ I started fundraising to build a classroom; we ended up building it a complete building with windows and doors. We had enough to even buy them desks.” Sauda.
To date for almost four years now Sauda has been involved in a charity project close to her home in Dar es Salaam. As a former pre-school teacher she was aghast when during a walk in her neighborhood. She stumbled into the pre-school classroom of Ushindi Primary School looking ugly. She then went on to use social media to pledge 100USD asking for crowd funding to revamp the classroom. Her efforts were successful and through community efforts today, the classroom is revamped as well a storeroom that is now a welcome play pen for the kids.“The kids are so happy, every year we have a little party with them. I partner with my friend Veronique Iyakuze, she has a music school. She has offered a scholarship for two kids here to join her school.” Sauda adds currently they also provide the teacher at this pre-school with volunteers to assist her during the week.
As a Creative
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| Sauda Simba performing in Sweden while promoting her album 'Sauti ya Sauda' |
Sauda remember is also a creative, she is a known actress in Tanzania with her big break. Occurring when she got a cameo to feature in Egoli in 2000, then a booming soap opera from South Africa featured on DSTV. She got this chance after a rigorous audition while she was stationed at TBL. Ever since she has been featured on several successful film productions from Tanzania, including the movies Girlfriend, The Big Shot directed by Neema Kambona with Imruh Bakari as Exec Producer, Child Protective Unit, Binti (the first Tanzanian film to be shown on Netflix) as well as the demo of ‘Ahadi’ by Azam TV & currently the acclaimed Tanzanian drama (scooping eight awards at TFF 2021 awards) Jua Kali a Multichoice production.
Sauda is as well a musician with two albums to her name, Simply Jazzmin 2006 and Sauti ya Sauda 2009. She has performed both locally and in Europe among the highlights being featuring as curtain raiser for Hugh Masekela when he visited Dar es Salaam in 2011 and performing at Sauti za Busara in ZNZ.
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| Sauda Simba (second right) with fellow cast mates Iddi Sultan & Godliver Gordian in the pre cast show of Ahadi for Azam TV |
When I asked her how she overcame the naysayers as women from her time, were simply not encouraged to be actresses or heads of their own firms. She said “Yes they’re negative influences and yes they’re times you think shit, can I really do this. But the steps you must take are yours; don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I believe in knowing who you are, being confident in what you do and listening to your inner voice.” Well there goes Sauda certainly reminds us it’s ok to embrace the different facets of ourselves with no fear.
n.b. this article was first published in the East African newspaper with this link Sauda the EApaper
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