Che Nkope: Unveiling the myth and the man

Nowadays, it has become rare for one to have a smart phone without having or sharing funny videos and voice comics. Of late, Malawians have started creating their own comics. One version of comics is Che Nkope.

Che Nkope versus Nancy

comics have become such a sensation on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp.

The hype of the comic is heightened by the mysterious identity of Nancy Maphwanya, who still remains an enigma even to Chill as our efforts to meet her proved futile.

Nicholas Mbonera, who is also a DJ at MIJ and acts out the role of Che Nkope, is the man behind the Che Nkope vs Nancy comics.

Mbonera says he mooted the Nancy character in 2009 when some girl from Che Musa was head-over-heels in love with him and used to make long annoying calls to him.

“It was very annoying the way this girl was calling because I did not really like her and damn! the girl could talk,” recalls Mbonera, who, as Nthumwi Nicodemo, was one half of the now disbanded music duo Atumwi alongside Pisky.

As a way of sending “I am not so into you” signal, Mbonera recreated the conversations of the girl by making a DJ promo. But, to his dismay, the girl kept on calling, saying she liked the character.

He also told Chill that the character has been a feature in the Sendeza music which was produced during his partnership with Piksy in Atumwi.

“Whenever I was on air people used to request for the promo asking ‘Che Nkope, where is that woman’ so I had to find a way to make it more entertaining and I thought of extending it,” said Mbonera.

“At first it was all about entertainment and just mere jokes but then I thought hey, I could change the world with this talent that I have so I decided to make it informative and educative,” he said.

The Che Nkope comic-maker however, admitted that during the making of the comics, he never thought they would be such a sensation in the entertainment industry.

“During that time I was working on my music album which is almost done now but the comics have somewhat overshadowed my music so I have decided to concentrate on the comics first,” said Mbonera.

He said that people are always requesting him to reveal the identity of Nancy Mbonera, the lead character in his Che Nkope comics.

“Although sometimes I enjoy the attention, the situation is getting out of hand because people are demanding to know where Nancy is. It doesn’t matter whether am in a supermarket, hospital or in a minibus but as soon as someone recognises me, they start demanding for Nancy,” said Mbonera.

According to him, the situation even caused a strain on his longtime relationship with his fiancée after she discovered a Facebook page for Nancy Maphwanya which was created by a fan.

Mbonera added that the comics have revealed a new dimension; that he is more of a comedian than a musician.

“I feel this comic thing just flows naturally but I produce music because I have a passion for it,” he said.

Presently, he is planning to produce a sitcom that will feature Nancy and Che Nkope modelled around Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean.

Mbonera has released a song titled Some More which features Dan Lu and Nancy. The song is a theme song and was included in the Che Nkope versus Nancy CD but will also be included in his upcoming album.

Mbonera also told Chill that preparations for the Nkope versus Nancy comic CD is in its final stages.