Chisanu’s artistic finesse lives on

Some are trained to acquire new skills, some live through it and some are born with it. But actor and broadcaster Hope Chisanu enjoyed all the three attributes.

His prowess always seemed to outgrow any role he was assigned. It did not matter whether the role demanded him to be a street smart character as portrayed in Chawezi Munthali’s Misnomer, or some villager eking out a living through fishing as in The Last Fishing Boat by Charles Shemu Joyah. He always seemed to come out top.   

His delivery and focus when called to duty was always full of passion. His conviction in the box was moving and spell-bound that he drew the audience  to the script to make them to be part of the action.

Wearing a wig, gown and a flap as a lawyer in Joyah’s Seasons of a Life, Chisanu thrived in a professional domain that even challenges the owners.  

The actor, who died on Saturday in the United States of America, has been hailed in attributes as one of the finest to come from Malawi.

His peers in the trade and film lovers alike have saluted the talent he was and commended his contribution to the art.

Actress-cum-filmmaker Flora Suya starred side by side with Chisanu in several productions. She said in an interview that he personified the professionalism.

She said: “When I first met him on set for the Seasons of a Life production I was new in the industry. I was not sure I could pull it off. But he gave me confidence and helped me.

“When we met again in The Last Fishing Boat I knew I was safe. He was that kind of person that would go out of his way just to lift you up.”

On Tuesday, filmmaker Charles Shemu Joyah, who Chisanu had worked with in his three film productions dropped a moving tribute. Joyah released aggregated highlights of Chisanu from his three movies.

The 14-minute video, titled Hope Chisanu-The Tribute, served as a poignant reminder to many of an acting genius that Chisanu was.

In an interview yesterday, Joyah said he decided to share the actor’s journey with his fans. 

“I started going through the films we did together, perhaps looking for some closure and when I saw the part of him rowing in the sunset, not only did it feel prophetic, but I realised that Hope is gone,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chisanu’s family is appealing for funding to repatriate his body from the US. The family says it is looking for K42 million.

Chisanu was born on September 17 in 1970. He hailed from Nyaka Village in Traditional Authority Kalumbu in Lilongwe. Chisanu had a stint with Wakhumbata Ensemble Theatre and went on to form Azimu Travelling Theatre before going into mainstream media.