Vongai : We Are ZimExcellence

Vongai is an award-winning actor, singer and writer based in New York for the last 6 years. She has worked in theatre, film, television and voiceovers. Before life in the Big Apple she was born in Zimbabwe, raised in the United Kingdom and China. She has a B.A in Film and Television Studies from Brunel University and classically trained in acting, voice and movement at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Her favourite things are spirituality, women's empowerment and watching reruns of Schitts Creek and #BlackAF. 

In this episode, Vongai reveals the inspiration behind ZimExcellence and shares her hopes for the future of the show and the larger Zimbabwean community. 

Website: www.zimexcellence.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zimexcellencepodcast/

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Transcript

Intro [upbeat music]
Yo! Welcome to the party! Hello! Makadini. Salibonani. My name is Vongai and you’re listening to ZimExcellence, a weekly celebration of Zimbabwe’s changemakers and trailblazers. So here’s the secret y’all Zimbabweans are actually DOPE AF and it’s just time that we recognize it. So grab yourself a plate of sadza, grab that Stoney ginger beer and let the party begin! 

Vongai
Hello, hello I am so excited to welcome you all to thee first episode of ZimExcellence. This is the first but not the last honey. This is the first of many and I’m just so excited that this day is finally here. 

So for those of you who don’t know me. My name is Vongai (won-guy), I also go by Von-guy.[chuckles] That’s its own story. That is, that is the result of having white British teachers and anglicizing your name for so many years. But fo’real my name is Vongai, that’s how you pronounce it but I also go by Von-guy. And if you know me as Von-guy then it’s no biggie you can keep calling me Von-guy. 

So a little bit about me. I am an award-winning actor, a singer and a writer. I’ve been based in New York for the past 6 years. And my accent does very strange things. Yes I do have a bit of an accent. I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and I also had the privilege of growing up in London in the UK and also Beijing, China. So I see myself as a global citizen, a citizen of the world and a third culture kid. For those of you wondering why my upbringing was the way that it was, my parents are diplomats and maybe I’ll have them on the show one day, who knows? But that’s pretty much all I’m going to share about my private life. The show is not about me. It’s not about my life or my upbringing. It is about us. ZimExcellence.

So for those of you wondering where this idea came from, I want you to grab yourselves a nice lil cuppa and a blankie because it’s storytime. 

So anyway I was living my best life in New York but feeling like I’m the only Zimbabwean actor that exists (in New York). Which is impossible right? The ego plays tricks on you so that’s what I thought. Anyway, I was like Hey , where are all the other Zimbabweans? Are they all living in LA or Texas? I can’t be the ONLY one pursuing acting. Like is it just me and Danai Gurira? So I basically had this deep need that I don’t think I was conscious of at the time. I had this deep need to find and connect with all the other Zimbabweans.

Especially other Zimbabwean artists who are just simply killing it in the game and killing it in their respective fields. Cut to October 2017.  I’m at the dress rehearsal of a brand new play called SchoolGirls or African Mean Girls Play written by Jocelyn Bioh. Shout out to my friend Abena who was in the play and got me a spot to see the dress rehearsal, love you girl. Anyway, I'm waiting outside the theatre to be let in to see this amazing show and I looked at the poster of the actresses, beautiful melanated gorgeous Black women in the show and I freaked out because I saw a name. A Zimbabwean name. I was like Wait? There’s another Zimbabwean actor? In New York? OMG I have to meet them. This person turned out to be Mirirai Sithole who I absolutely adore. Shout out to Mirirai. 

Cut to 2020. It’s the worst year. It’s the worst year of our I guess in our lifetime so far. Um let’s not relive it y’all. But the pandemic came and it gave me this perfect opportunity to connect with a wonderful group of Zimbabwean artists in the US and a couple of Zimbabwean artists outside of the US. And it inspired me to do this podcast. The interesting thing is at university, my first degree is Film and Television Studies. I studied at Brunel University in London. And while I was at Brunel I was actually the co-host and producer of a show called Bad Rep with Erin and Vongai and so that was my first ever radio show. And when I was in high school, going back even further. When I was in high school I made a pretend podcast called Mocha & Latte with my friend Alexandra McCusker. It was this joke that we had. She was the latte to my mocha and so we recorded an episode of a pretend podcast but we just didn’t know how to get it live. So the audio still exists on my computer and I listen to it at times. And it makes me laugh. 

But yeah I love talking to people, love listening to their stories and I missed my time in radio that I got to have with Bad Rep which I hosted with Erin Pearson. Shoutout to Erin. And so I was like ‘Ha! I like having conversations. I want to connect with Zimbabwean artists and I’m learning so many amazing things about them. And all of our origin stories and our journeys as artists are so different. I think I wanna record this. Is this a vlog? No, it’s a podcast. And so that’s how the idea for the podcast came.

So now that we have that out of the way, I am incredibly excited to start the podcast. My mission is to amplify Zimbabwean voices, elevate the narrative, redefine the narrative and finally recognize the glory that exists within our culture and that exists within each and every one of us. My hope is that Zimbabweans and non-Zimbabweans will tune in to this show and see just endless examples of what ZimExcellence and ZimGreatness looks like. Y’know.

So ZimExcellence and CULTURELLE Productions is welcoming and accepting of ALL. Yes you heard that correctly. Accepting of ALL Zimbabweans because I believe this is an opportunity to celebrate our diversity, our differences, what connects us and to also have those tough conversations to heal. There is a lot of division within our community where it has to do with people living in the diaspora, people not living in the diaspora. What it means to be Zimbabwean. Race, colourism, gender identity, gender expression, sexism, gender-based violence [she also meant to mention : religious persecution and ableism]. There’s just so much to talk about and discuss. And so I also want this to be a platform for healing and a platform where every single Zimbabwean is represented and is able to see themselves. 

With that said I would like to put out  a disclaimer. So my first language is English and most guests will be speaking English however it is my hope that future guests can come on and express themselves in whatever language that they desire. Because this is not strictly for the privileged and for those abroad. I will be making it a priority to seek out guests living in Zimbabwe and as well as guests with disabilities because they also have voices and their voices deserve to be amplified as well. It’s work y’all and I am vowing to do it here and now, live on this podcast. And I would love it if y’all could hold me accountable AF. Hold me accountable please. 

All of that aside I am just so so grateful for this moment. I am grateful for my AMAZING parents for holding the vision with me. I am thankful for my extended family [and friends] who support me and love me. I am grateful for my amazing friend Rebecca Knowles. She is the Reese Witherspoon to my Kerry Washington if that makes sense to anyone. I wanna thank Rebecca for being my cheerleader and co-pilot along this journey.  I am grateful for my new African podcaster friends that I met at Podfest Global 2021. And Africa Podfest is just doing such amazing work so please check them out. I just want to thank them for supporting and guiding me, continuing to inspire me and also to remind me, that our voices as Africans, as Zimbabweans, as Black people and as women. Especially Black women are needed in the podcast space because this space is predominately white (cis)male and very celebrity. So there’s space for us and we need to be in the space. I don’t know what I was going to say but there’s space for us and we need to be in the space. Representation matters forever and always. Lastly I am especially grateful and thankful for my amazing guests who have come on so far and who have yet to come on. The people who have signed on to come on, I am so excited for them and grateful to them as well. The line-up is absolutely incredible and I hope that you leave knowing that if it’s possible for them then it’s possible for you because your dreams matter. We are ZimExcellence. 

Thank y’all for listening. I hope you’ve subscribed. Head to ZimExcellence.com There’s a list of platforms you can listen to the podcast. Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, CastBox, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Overcast, Podfriend, Audible, AmazonMusic. Y’all you can literally ask Alexa to play ZimExcellence for you and she should be able to know what’s up. [chuckles] If anyone needs help subscribing, let me know I’m here. Thank you so much, I hope you go tune in to Christine’s episode coming up next, it is my first conversation that I had. I absolutely adore Christine. You guys if don’t know her you’re gonna fall in love with her. Ok that’s me. Thank you, much love.