The many faces of Joyce Mhango-Chavula

Joyce Mhango-Chavula is one of the country’s well-known actresses and film makers.

Her story keeps getting better. And this year she has added another milestone to her already illustrious career with her appearance in the 2023 local movie Misnomer which was produced by Chaz Munthali.

Mhango-Chavula has featured in over 10 movies which include a Nollywood film Reflections, Kamara Tree (Sierra Leone), The Last Fishing Boat and The Bride Price by Leap Year Films Inc.(USA).

The actress-cum-film maker traces her acting to her secondary school days.

She recalls: “My acting journey started way back in secondary school. I remember participating in the Association of Teaching English in Malawi (Atem) drama competition and that really pushed my interest in the craft. After secondary school, I almost forgot about acting for a few years as I had to concentrate on advancing my education.”

Mhango-Chavula studied marketing and business administration and later got her first job with Nation Publications Limited (NPL). 

She said that a few years later she met one of the country’s legendary film makers Sir Ian Chisekula who pursued her to take a role in one of his theatre productions.

“This is how I got back into acting. I did a couple of productions with Chisekula under his production company during which time I also worked with Baba Twaya Sanudi. For me, it was more for fun. I wasn’t making any money out of it, but just the idea of moving from city to city with a production team was thrilling until the production company couldn’t sustain its activities,” said Chavula-Mhango.

In 2009, she established Rising Choreos Theatre Company to bring back theatre in the region. She argued that by that time, theatre in the Central Region was almost dead.

“I decided to quit my job to concentrate on arts. It didn’t make sense to anybody then when I left a lucrative job for an industry that was not attractive economically. I embarked on a journey I was uncertain of. But I have always loved to take risks and that was one of them,” said Mhango-Chavula.

A few years later, she said she went into film production after observing untapped opportunities.

Mhango-Chavula said film making provided her with a lot to sustain her and the company.

She said: “It has been a thrilling journey and here I am still going strong without regrets at all.”

Mhango-Chavula calls herself a socio-cultural animator and a cultural entrepreneur. She uses art to initiate programmes that impact on larger communities.

Basically, she works with several organisations to create theatre for development in various communities.

She said her films have social and cultural touches making them a tool for social change.

Mhango-Chavula is multifaceted. Apart from being a film director and actor, she is also into fixing events.

She said: “I don’t want to be boxed into acting only because acting is just one of the many things I do. The other things that I currently do is fixing. I am a local fixer.

“Basically, my responsibility as a local fixer is to assist foreign clients with everything to make their job or visit easier in the country. I organise logistical support, scout locations, arrange interviews if required, mediate with local authorities in specific locations, get permits, accommodation, duty clearance in case there is equipment involved or source it locally, interpreting and translating. I am simply a person on the ground.”

She said, as a fixer, she has worked with numerous clients from international filmmakers to news crews and tourists.

On his part, veteran film director Sir Ian Chisekula described Mhango-Chavula as a pride of the nation whose story stems from humble beginnings.

“As a mentor, I am proud of what Joyce Mhango-Chavula has achieved. Today, she is a pride of the nation because of her visionary mindset. She used to be one of my mentees who showed passion and determination to what she wanted to achieve. No wonder, today she is big,” he said.

Chisekula cited the 2010’s Footsteps of First Lady, a movie Mhango-Chavula acted together with Nigeria’s Desmond Eliot.

“I am proud to mention that Footsteps of A First Lady helped to change the narrative of the country’s acting. Mhango-Chavula was the first Malawian actress to act alongside Desmond Eliot. Since then, the gifted actress has been featured in several productions.

According to Chisekula, in 2012 they also invited Nigeria’s actress Patience Ozokwor who acted alongside Mhango-Chavula and other Malawian actors.n