I met Samba Yonga at a 2004 scriptwriter's workshop held in Cape Town. It was such a joy to discover that not only did we share a passion for all things film, we also were passionate about rock 'n' roll in general and Alanis Morrissette in particular:-) Below is a synopsis of the short film that she (Samba not Alanis!) directed.
Synopsis
KITCHEN PARTY
Duration: 28 minutes
Directors: Milumbe Haimbe and Samba Yonga (Eris Progeny Films)
Producer: Anna M. Phiri
Language: English
Country: Zambia
In a restrictive society where a young woman’s pride lies in acquiring stability, a home a husband and children. Madison, a young aspiring musician struggles to find her identity when she resists taking up her expected role and takes her own path.
Madison’s cousin Leonisa is getting married, Leonisa was a person who shared Madison ’s dreams of becoming a musician a person who somehow along the way had left the dream that they shared with Madison for a more sensible lifestyle. Getting married. Madison still held on to the dream of becoming a rock musician and persevered she sent a demo to South Africa and she is called for a meeting with them her challenge is to raise money to get to the meeting which is scheduled on the same day as her cousins wedding. A wedding she expected to attend without fail.
Defying her traditional and family roles Madison works hard to achieve her goals against all odds. The story embarks on a journey that reveals how one person’s ambition alters ones perspective on what direction one should take in life. Set in modern day Africa , the story glides through the intricacies of the rich African tradition and how it retains and at the same time loses its authority in an ever-changing society.
The film explores how traditional norms confine a person and puts them in a prison that they themselves do not see and how breaking free from this freedom is looked at as disrespectful and unusual.
Biodata
Directors Biography
Born in 1979, Samba Yonga is a Zambian who has a Diploma in Journalism from the Evelyn Hone College of Applied Arts and Commerce in Lusaka, Zambia. After working at the nations largest paper for a year, she moved into TV and radio productions and has worked on a number of local radio and television programs. She attended a scriptwriter’s workshop funded by Deutsche Welle Television in Germany and facilitated by South African film maker Dermod Judge, where her idea for a documentary was selected as one of the best ideas and she was selected to attend the Sithengi Film Festival in November 2004. It is her first full directorial project. She recently worked as trainee assistant director on the set of Zambian director and filmmaker Catherine Kaseketi’s “SUWI” film project. She has also worked extensively on two film projects. ‘What makes a Zambian’ which is a documentary and also co-written a short film called ‘Kitchen Party’.