American playwright, actress and teacher Nikkole Salter, who was in the country for a month, has castigated sex tape recordings, saying they undermine a spirit of communalism that should steer the film industry.
Report by Silence Charumbira
Salter said sex tapes, which are on an increase internationally, are hinged on individualism and are unhealthy for film production.
“A disease of individualism has led to people recording sex tapes, and it has become a secular spirituality at the expense of communalism; to share ideas,” Salter said.
She was speaking at the sidelines of a theatre training workshop at Zimbabwe German Society on Thursday. Salter, who was scheduled to return to the United States yesterday, had been in the country since September 9 on a mission to mentor local playwrights
Locally, we have had our fair share of home-made sex tapes. Actress and radio personality Tinopona Katsande courted controversy when her sex tape leaked recently, while a tape featuring Pokello Nare and Desmond “Stunner” Chideme went viral early this year.
Salter came into the country courtesy of a culture exchange programme spearheaded by Almasi Collaborative Arts.
Almasi is a Zimbabwean American dramatic arts collaborative organization formed by America based Zimbabwean Danai Gurira and Patience Tawengwa. The programme also saw Tawengwa visiting the United States before Salter came to groom playwrights.
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Salter took five Zimbabwean participants- Gideon Wabvuta, Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi, Samantha Ndlovu, Thandiwe Nyamasvisva and Tsungai Hatitye as well as American Jonathan Brakash- through various techniques of story development.
Speaking about the workshop Salter said: “The investment is not an instant gratification process. There is an amount of work that is multifaceted not just a singular idea which is like propaganda.
“Some (of the participants) have never really seen success in theatre so it has been a heart romantic experience unlike slow courtship this has been really aggressive as we push to develop the work and not just ideas.”
About her experience in Zimbabwe Salter said: “The biggest lesson I’ve learned is how much white supremacy and western values dominate my perspectives on the world and Africa -how American I am – and how important travel and first-hand experience helps to dispel the stereotypes.
“It brings me shame to know I harbour such thoughts on a subconscious level and such gratitude for the opportunity to work with Almasi.”
An experienced playwright, Salter received an OBIE Award (2006), and the NY Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Award for Best New American Play (2006), the Seldes-Kanin fellowship from the Theatre Hall of Fame, and the Global Tolerance Award from the Friends of the United Nations to name a few.
As an actress, Miss Salter can be seen in Gavin O’Connors feature film “Pride & Glory” starring Colin Farrell and Jon Voight, and heard as the voice of Laticia in Rockstar Games’ video game release, Midnight Club.
In 2011, Salter received an IRNE award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in Stick Fly co-produced by Arena Stage and the Huntington Theatre in Boston.
As a dramatist, her work, Carnaval, was selected to be a part of The New Black Fest 2011-2012 season and received its world premiere production as a part of Luna Stage’s 20th Anniversary Season to great acclaim.
