THE other Wednesday, I was eventfully reading through Mulenga Kapwepwe’s play script Rufino’s Wife when I received a call from the youthful Taizya Namukanga, who is the United Church of Zambia, Lusaka Presbytery secretary.
She called to ask me to join Mukonde Kaemba and Isaac Kalumba on the panel of adjudicators to look at altogether 27 performances of poetry and drama.
For me, the invitation was a good idea as keeping busy is one of my preoccupations; interacting with particularly youthful drama groups is one of my passionate bustles I am often engaged in; I gladly accepted the request.
The festival comparable to one I attended last year held somewhere in Lusaka West, was this time round held at a children-in-need learning centre called Swami Krishnanad Seva Ashram in Makeni, Lusaka.
I was pleased to be there. Like my amble into Mansa a month ago watching the young people on stage was such a heartening experience – much the same as my outing for the UCZ youth drama festival.
Surely, the exposition of talent and skills should be emulated by other churches. Being an outskirts venue, much suited for the retreat the UCZ leaders wanted for their youth; performances, recitals and play performances gave me, similarly an elevating feeling.
Like I put it one time, youths need conscripting in various social activities to keep them away from mischief, and drama is one commended excursion young people can find joy in as it is an inert skill.
The festival exposed various skills despite some groups taking first positions. The Rock drama group with The Shackles of My Land by Chamunora Masuka took first position followed by a tally of Erick Kasomo’s House on Fire staged by St John’s drama group and St Pauls with Out of Pain by Emmanuel Kalambo in second place.
St Bartholomew with The Suspect by Emmanuel Mwape was third and fourth position was taken by St Margarets with Boundaries of Circles by Uyoya Mwiya, The Grace of God drama group with Babylon Sins by Emmanuel Mwape came fifth.
The groups that later followed were St Phillips (The Confessions), Psalms drama group (My Marriage by Joseph Sandala), the Indelible Marks with Kennedy Fisonga’s Forsaken but Loved and the Voice of the Voiceless with Hidden Will.
Others were the Heavenly Saints (Hidden Truth), St Barnabas (An Eye for an Eye by Paul Sinkala), the Paradise (Mistaken for an Alien by Sky Mbundo), and the Apostle Drama group had Crash of Twins, the Last Days drama group had The People who know their God and Paul Sinkala’s Mabvuto’s Wrath was staged by the Zorway drama group.
In poetry recital the Great Conquerors (Naked Love) by Daniel Mbewe) took the lead trailed by The Rock, while the Grace of God’s Back to Eden by Emmanuel Mwape came third. St John’s  Viva for What by Eric Kasomo was fourth followed by a tie in fifth position by St Margret’s and the Heavenly Saints.
The Voice of the Voiceless came seventh (Death of the Calamity of the Earth by Martin Sichilima), followed by the Sense of Hope, Rise and Shine, the Last Days and the
Israel drama group in that order.
The recital Heaven Sweet Home by Chamunora Musuka was impressive such that he took the best recital award while the female best award went to another bold and audacious performance by Olamu Njonde in Naked Love.
For the plays, Shackles of My Land, a story about illegal settlement was outstanding with the author winning again as the best supporting actor in the same play.
Clive Nyirenda in Out of Pain was the best lead actor as Blessing Mwape won the best lead actress with Flaviour Nalungwe in the Suspect taking second place.
The cameo role award went to Davies Chama while Pitcher Ngoma was voted as the best comical role in Babylon Sin.
The lady who played Hachula the maid in Hidden Truth came off as the most comical female. Notably, the appearance of new young playwrights was commendable.
These young writers, whose works are impressively promising should be harnessed, sharpened and tutored. And truly, as chief adjudicator, I was pleased to exchange notes with general observations during the performances, and one prominent was over scripts and how these young writers should keep away from plagiarising and maintain copyright ethics.
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The National Arts Council (NAC) will begin today 13 September run a four-day national stakeholders’ consultative workshop set for Mika ConventionCentre in Lusaka.
With approximately 120 participants, the workshop is earmarked to draw benchmarks in the creative industry with participants expected to collaborate and draw up a national strategic plan to cover 2016 to 2021 which should be infused in the 2016 strategic arts development.
I am pleased that I will be among the participants of the event which run up to September 16.
Meanwhile, From Lusaka, NAPSA Theatre clubs will visit Chingola Arts Society with Cheela Chilala’s play Harvest of Shadows on 2 and 3 October.
This is an intricately-woven play which is worth watching.
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Thank you to all those who called to share their sympathies and empathy over my involvement in what could have been a nasty car accident.
I unknowingly, carried a bag of charcoal behind my saloon car driving home round 15.00 hours. Before arriving into the town centre, I decided to pass through the car wash and parked, only to see heavy smoke from behind where I had placed the bag of charcoal; without help from the public in putting out the burning boot which left my palms blistered, today I could have been history.
Read more next week. John.kapesa818@yahoo.co.uk –  0955-0967-0977-710975