Kemi, a woman with many hats to wear
Kemiyondo Coutinho is a Ugandan playwright, actress and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She’s making global headlines following her success in the world of creative arts.
You’re a playwright, actress and filmmaker. How do you manage to wear these many hats?
As a modern day African Woman you are trained from the get go to wear many hats. You have to constantly juggle society’s expectations of you with your own perspective of who you are. Juggling those three hats are nothing compared to the everyday life of being an African woman. That said, those three lend towards each other very easily. I trained as an actress and a writer and filmmaking was born out of watching from those corners of the filmmaking world.
What was an early experience where you learned that writing had power?
When I was 17 and wrote a one-woman show about gender disparity in Swaziland. The impact it had on the audience changed me forever.
When did you decide you wanted to go into film? What helped you make that decision?
I was tired of seeing our stories being told by the wrong storyteller. I was tired of seeing the same people behind the lens. I wanted to address our issues but from a multidimensional perspective. Like with most of my career endeavours, I let my frustrations fuel my desire.
Whenever you’re writing a play or directing a movie, do you try more to be original or to deliver to the audience what they want?
I just try to show the audience what I see. Through my eyes. When I do that, without a doubt, it is original because no one sees the world like I do. Yet the more specific you are the more universal your story becomes. So when I do that, I realise that in fact my story is not original and the audience is seeing a different side of their own story that they had not seen before.
What kind of situation evokes your creative senses? Tell us about your ideation process.
The silenced narrative evokes my creativity. I like to tell the story that has not been heard, or rather has not be listened to.
What drives you? What’s your passion?
I want to make people feel heard. I constantly see narratives that ignore voices in favour of an agenda. I want to disrupt those narratives and integrate the voices that are sidelined. As someone who has always felt like “the other,” I have always watched from the sidelines and observed patterns. I seek to interrupt patterns that seek to reemphasize the status quo and tell stories that empower those that are being silenced.
You’ve had a lot of exposure to the Western culture, how are you still able to trace topical issues affecting Africa in your creative work?
Your base is the foundation for everything else. I see the western world through African eyes – that will never change.
You’ve written plays that have addressed issues on inequality. Is this something that you’ve experienced in your personal life? Tell us the inspiration behind.
I am an African woman. That should say it all.
I have experienced a lot of inequality. I have also experienced a lot of privilege. I use my writing to bridge my privilege (of having a voice) with my inequality as a Black African Woman.
You wrote, directed and starred in Kyenvu. How were you able to focus on each role? Does such a situation affect diversity in terms of creative ideas?
When I was writing I forgot I was acting and directing, when I directed I forgot I was acting, when I was acting I forgot I wrote and directed it. I gave each thing my entire self.
Have you ever refrained from tackling an issue through your creative work because you found it to be too sensitive?
No.
What was your hardest scene to write?
The love scenes. Love makes me extremely vulnerable because I have no control. It is hard to tap into that vulnerability.
What brings you to Tanzania?
To teach a directing and acting workshop.
As I stated when I announced it; I hired myself for my first professional play, writing gig, onscreen role, and directing gig. Don’t wait for “them” to tell you you can or can’t do it. Come and find out how you already have all you need to tell that story you want to tell.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Getting funding. Our people are not investing enough in our own industry. I want to change this.
You trained and studied acting, how important is it for our artists to get training in their fields?
I think everyone’s journey is different. Some of the most amazing actors I know don’t have training and some of the worst actors I know have training. I don’t think there is a clear path of what you have to do. That said, I knew that I needed training and wanted to refine my craft. To me, this was necessary. I think it should be an option, one of the things I would love to do down the road is to set up a training camp for actors should they feel they need it.
Who do you look up to in the creative industry?
Regina King, Lena Waithe, Ava Duvernay and Issa Rae. Brenda Fassie inspired me since I was a child though. May her soul rest in peace. I saw what it meant to be a rebel in pursuit of what you love and your own ideals and dictating the narrative for yourself through her!
