Remembering izeki ndi jakobo

When I think of a great drama performance, what quickly comes to my mind are natural abilities in actors who are able to dramatise things and draw people’s attention.

I mean the alluring power of using body language such as gestures, facial expressions and significant devices that depict elements of life or characters, bring conflicts and emotions to life.

However, deficit of this charming creativity in the Chichewa drama world brings into picture the gap which one John Nyanga and Eric Mabedi, Malawi’s finest drama duo of Izeki ndi Jakobo, respectively, left.

We must accept the fact that some people were simply born with incomparable gifts which appeal to the audience naturally. Their natural gifts such as composure and facial expression are just a wow factor in their art.

It dawned on me one day at Chichiri Shopping Mall, Blantyre, when I met the late drama legend Izeki and left me in dilemma whether he was in dramatic or serious mood. I greeted him and introduced myself as a journalist before asking for his phone number.

However, in a flash of a moment amidst our conversation, Izeki’s gestures made me burst into laughter. And quickly he reacted: “Akulu, sizamaseratu izi.”

I read from his facial expression that he was serious and I had to treat our conversation as such. From this day I got to realise that there is untold power in natural abilities that can never be stopped.

In his own image, Izeki was created as drama. The way he walked, talked or looked, he was a complete artist. One could easily burst into laughter upon seeing him.

In his 2021 eulogy to Jakobo, veteran videographer Peter Mazunda commented on Izeki ndi Jakobo’s natural talent.

He said between 1996 and 2001 while working as cameraman for Television Malawi, now MBC-Tv, he had the privilege of being behind the camera recording Izeki ndi Jacobo.

Mazunda said: “The two were simply natural actors. During rehearsals they could display a plot, but when shooting the actual video began they will have spiced it more than expected and producers could just let them flow.

“They picked at anyone and any topic with ease; their delivery was always top-notch. The duo was a marvel to work with, extraordinary to watch, pure geniuses at what they did, and the best comic duo this country has ever produced.”

Well, to cut the story short, it has been seven solid years and two years since the country’s arts fraternity paid its last respect to the fallen commanding drama officers of Izeki and Jakobo, respectively. Izeki died on May 22 in 2016 at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital after a long illness.

Whereas Jakobo succumbed to Covid-19 related complications on August 2 2021 at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital in same commercial city of Blantyre.

Izeki was buried at Henry Henderson Institute (HHI) Cemetery and Jakobo at Catholic Institute (CI) Cemetery in Blantyre, the city where they practiced and nurtured their comic talents.

But many years since their demise, memories are still fresh about the duo’s humble beginnings and exploits at the then French Cultural Centre (FCC), where they used to organise drama performances and fill the venue for family entertainment.  Indeed, people from all walks of life marvelled at their ingenuity.

There is no denying that Izeki ndi Jakobo were exceptionally good and a force of reckon if their astonishing legacy is anything to go by. Today, many years after their death, the social media is still awash with video clips of the fallen drama kings to confirm their unwavering legacy.

Frankly speaking, the duo of Izeki ndi Jakobo will indisputably go down the memory lane as one of drama powerhouses which had left an indelible gap in Malawi’s theatrical circles as far as its stage magic and popularity are concerned. 

Many drama enthusiasts in the country attest to this, describing the fallen drama legends as irreplaceable due to its profound talent.

“I haven’t attended any of Izeki’s stage performances. But I can tell from the video clips that I watch on social media that he was a rare character,” says Innocent Golowa, a resident of Biwi.

Before his death, Izeki opened a prophetic ministry called Synagogue for Hope Church in Ndirande Township, Blantyre, where he was aswering to a new title as Prophet Z.

Writer Willie Zingani, in whose plays Nyanga (Izeki) acted, once described the departed thespian as immortal.

“Izeki was an immortal. And as Izeki ndi Jacobo, they were in a class of their own. They were the first duo to adapt my book Madzi Akataika into a performance. Since then they have been entertaining the country. So, his death marked a sad chapter of comedy and drama in the country,” once said Zingani.

The duo of Izeki ndi Jakobo, which also performed alongside Kwathu Drama Group, will remain in historical books as one of the country’s flag carriers of Chichewa drama.

“I greatly miss Izeki ndi Jakobo because their acting was funny and extraordinary. How I wish God could bring them back to continue from where they left. May their souls continue to rest in peace,” said Deliweh Mpaka, a drama.

Born through a Mid-week Magazine radio programme produced by one Charles Severe on the State-controlled Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Radio 1, Izeki ndi Jakobo became a household name in the 1990s and went on to entertain the country for over 30 years.

Izeki and Jakobo had several things in common, which cemented their duo and personal relationship. They were born in the same month and year. Izeki was born on June 13 1963, whereas Jakobo was born eight days later on June 21 1963.

Izeki came from Nyangayathyoka village in T/A Mabuka in Mulanje, while Jakobo hailed from Mpira Village T/A Kadewere in Chiradzulu.