Meet the unstoppable dynamic Ashwyn MberiFrom being actor, an MC, and a poet, this young man is trying to conquer the world, and he seems to be well on his way. Nothing can stop those that are determined to reach their goals 0 Born Ashwyn Taurai Mberi, the dynamic 25-year-old Zimbabwean native has been taking the local media and entertainment industries by storm since he stepped onto Namibian soil. Ashwyn hails from Zimbabwe, which he says is his “first home” with the roots of his identity dwelling there, and Zimbabwe being a place that he deeply cares for. “I am grateful to be part of the Namibian family,” and added that his passion and plans for the future are at home, and here in the land of the brave.
A student of English and drama at Unam, Ashwyn shares that he is passionate about the equality of the sexes, with racial and economic equality and freedom of expression also topping that list.
Ashwyn said that he is inspired by the idea of seeing “a better Africa with role models for African children that not side-lined for international talent.” As his idols, Ashywn holds Childish Gambino and Kanye West in high regard, with both encapsulating “confidence and relentless ambition that creates and influences almost every trend in popular culture”.
He says that he believes that he is going to be “one of the leading voices influencing and inspiring young African children to be the best versions of themselves”.
“I’m driven by the need to break barriers so that when young children dream of making it, they don’t see any walls preventing them from taking their craft as far as possible,” Mberi shared.
He said that he no longer gets nervous, and that it has been that way since he was 13. “The more you are on stage, the more it becomes a part of you and I have grabbed many opportunities to be on stage over the last decade,” he said.
In his short but impactful career, Ashwyn says that MC’ing the United Nations Preserving Cultural Heritage event last year was one of the highlights of his career; with hosting the NAMAs 2014 and 2015 also one of the moments he cherishes the most in his career.
“For acting I was nominated for best male actor at the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards 2014 and performing the role of Sipho Makhaya in ‘Nothing but the Truth’ this year’ (which was directed by David Ndjavera),” were some of the highlights of this theatre career so far, Ashwyn divulged.
For Ashwyn, the stage means that he is at his calmest and that it is also, according to him, when he feels the “most joy”. “I enjoy connecting with people and I feed off their energy when I’m on stage, it means the world to me,” he shared.
Some of the earlier lessons that he learned in the industry was to “pay attention to your audience” and “always adjust your delivery accordingly”. Mberi shared that “MC’ing is about connection” and pointed out that “you can’t connect to people if you are self-involved”.
In terms of the challenges that Ashwyn has faced as a young creative, he points to the fact that it’s always difficult to “get backing I need for my ideas”. “As an artist I have many creative ideas which only need cooperative support in order to reach their maximum capacity for influence, but it is difficult to get funding behind it,” he shared, adding that he is still “knocking on all the necessary doors” and said that he is determined to “eventually feel the business world to see the value of the creative art”.
He says that he would like to start a “public speaking school in Windhoek, hopefully land a nomination at next year’s awards show,” adding that performing at the “Grahamstown Art Festival in South Africa” being one of the things he would still like to achieve in the, foreseeable future.
In terms of the media and entertainment industry, and the way in which it treats or accepts young people, Ashwyn said that he believes that the situation is not so bad at the moment, with more guidance needed, and certainly more respect for the industry, both from corporates and individuals needed.
He believes also, that any young person can take the stage like he has, if you put in the work. “If you are diligent and you refuse to adapt to the present standards, if you are determined to push the envelope, you will achieve everything you want to,” he encouraged.
One of the most rewarding things about being an artist, for Ashwyn has been the ability to make people happy and talk about issues most people would be uncomfortable addressing, and added that, “Often I am just a vessel for what people need to hear and talk about. This is important and I don’t take it lightly,” he emphasised.
Ashwyn shared, in terms of his values that he doesn’t believe in doing anything without adding value to it. “If Ashwyn touches any piece of work, it must be left better than it was before I got involved,” he affirmed.
He says that he keeps a healthy work-life balance, by making sure that he does everything before it is due, and shared that he doesn’t procrastinate, saying that it’s amazing how much time you have to spare if you decide to do everything on time or before it is due.
In the future, Ashwyn says that he would be considering enrolling for media and journalism studies, with a film school application also in the pipeline. In the next ten years, Mberi plans on “taking both the Namibian and Zimbabwean flags to Broadway and Hollywood, and any place where the world will get to see the beauty and potential of these two nations.”
He is busy directing his play called ‘Remote,Control,’ that is part of the Goethe Institute’s Mind-Set Dialogues, Questioning Gender Stereotypes which follows the lives of four afro-millennials, over a course of a day. The play will be showing on 13 October at the Theatre School in Windhoek, at 19:15.