Writer, actor and producer, Enoch Chihombori, has lamented the time he wasted working with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) on his Gringo productions because he did not get any meaningful monetary rewards.
Report by Tawanda Marwizi
For all his effort and time, Chihombori said he only got fame and contacts for networking purposes.
“There hasn’t been any notable monetary success, just popularity. Maybe the reason is lack of ownership to productions,” he said. “Of course I now have contacts in and out of the country, but having come such a long way, anyone would expect some form of material rewards.”
Chihombori said he had resolved on making his upcoming production, Gringo the troublemaker, a cinema comedy, to allow him to have total control.
“We are not going to screen it on the television this time around, but we are going to make it a cinema comedy,” he said.
Chihombori said his passion for comedy had stemmed from watching cartoons.
“I used to watch cartoons on television after which I then tried to put them in drawing,” said Chihombori.
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“My first Gringo cartoon was published in a local paper in 1989 while I was in school.”
After failing to publish a Gringo cartoon book in 1994, Chihombori’s passion to have Gringo known to the public inspired him into penning the Gringo series.
“With the help of Yani Svuurai, I managed to write a script and it was produced in 1998 by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation,” he said.
So far, Chihombori has produced NdiGringo Chete, Gringo Ndiani?, Gringo Christmas presents, Gringo Christmas Dinner, Gringo Mari Iripi?, Gringo Ndini, as well as some short stories such as Gringo Stories.
He has been involved in various local comedies that include the action comedy, Cobra.
Born in Zambia in 1971, Chihombori came to Zimbabwe in 1981. He did his primary and secondary education at Haig Park and Ellis Robins respectively.
Now based in Botswana, Chihombori is married to wife Norleen and has two children.
