From volunteer to CEO: Joseph Mwale’s journey with Zanzibar International Film Festival

Dar es Salaam. About 17 years ago, the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), Joseph Mwale, experienced ZIFF for the first time.

He was randomly selected through the Student’s Panorama platform, an initiative by ZIFF that gathers students from various schools to participate in film workshops during the festival.

Mwale is an experienced professional in events, sales, and marketing, boasting over a decade of work experience with various corporations in Zanzibar.

During the workshop at ZIFF, he received training as an actor.

After the training, the participants created a play in which Mwale played the main character—a young man who refused to take responsibility after impregnating a girl.

"It's been years, but I still vividly remember how the special guest appreciated my acting skills and gave me money as a gift," said Mwale, ceo of ZIFF.

"The guest was Maalim Abdallah Mwinyi, the then-Regional Commissioner. From that moment on, I felt a strong connection to ZIFF. The following year, I returned and learned how to direct films through the Student's Panorama programme."

During his initial two years, Mwale dedicated his time to learning within the ZIFF community.

In his third year, he transitioned to a volunteer role, facilitated by his prior engagement through the Student's Panorama platform, which provided him with easy access to the festival.

For him, it was such a privilege, as ZIFF is known for bringing different opportunities to youths in Zanzibar.

Established 27 years ago, ZIFF is an annual event that showcases films from diverse regions, promoting cultural exchange and celebrating the vibrant art of filmmaking.

It aims to inspire and unite global audiences through the magic of cinema while boosting the tourism industry and creating a favorable environment for business opportunities in the Isles.

"At the beginning, I never fully grasped the grand scope of the festival," Joseph reflected.

"However, I was consistently impressed by the growing crowds that ZIFF attracted each year. As a volunteer, I was tasked with various responsibilities, often serving as a 'runner,' being sent anywhere to assist with whatever was needed."

The following year, Joseph's contributions caught the attention of the ZIFF management.

Both the former ZIFF ceo, Prof Martin Mhando, and the Marketing manager, Mr Laurent Kipeja, expressed interest in having him volunteer in their offices.

Ultimately, Mr Kipeja emerged victorious in securing Joseph's volunteer services.

He thanks Mr Kipeja for his professional support, which made him develop an interest in the field of sales and marketing, which was not his passion; he was into the IT field, and he later trained in that field.

Under Mr Kipeja's mentorship, Mwale honed his marketing skills.

As Mr Kipeja departed from ZIFF, he recommended Joseph to succeed him as the next Marketing manager.

That is how Joseph climbed the ladder to the position of ZIFF Marketing Manager.

His rise had only just begun.

By March 2024, he would be named CEO of ZIFF, claiming the company's highest position.

Commenting on the challenges he went through when climbing the corporate ladder, he mentioned 2018 as the year to remember at ZIFF.

That year, ZIFF had a very big market focused on international distribution opportunities for entertainment content produced in Africa called DISCOP Zanzibar.

More than 500 delegates from 50 countries, representing over 300 companies, attended DISCOP Zanzibar.

This included over 150 buyers of films, television, online content, and adaptation rights from more than 100 broadcasters, satellite and cable providers, online pay-TV platforms, mobile operators, airlines, and territorial sub-distributors operating in Eastern Africa.

With such a high-profile event and a lot of expectations from everyone, as the marketing manager, he was directly involved in making sure everything was set.

Mwale said it was not an easy task to accomplish on time due to different management challenges with donors and sponsors; the catalog became hard to finish early.

“I went through four sleepless nights with my colleagues to make sure the catalog was presented at the event on the very first day. When the catalogs arrived at the port from Dar es Salam, the ship was low-tailed, and I had to hire a small boat, which took me about 15–20 minutes to pick up the catalogs. It was not an easy move, but I now thank God ZIFF has opened up so many opportunities for me,” he said.

His appointment as Marketing manager at ZIFF had just come after he graduated from ZGD Design, where he worked on five big projects.

Upon receiving the news of his appointment, Joseph Mwale was initially shocked, yet a profound sense of readiness washed over him.

It felt as though he had been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to lead, to see if he could enact transformative changes within ZIFF and reignite the lost spark of recent years.

The popular film festival with an international touch went through different phases of leadership after Prof Mhando’s retirement.

Lack of sense of ownership, poor management skills, and a lack of funds, mainly from sponsors and partners, contributed to the fall of the festival.

Joseph emphasised the importance of cultivating a dedicated and robust team as one of his top priorities in fulfilling his new role.

He expressed gratitude to God for blessing ZIFF with an exceptional Festival director, Hatibu Madudu, a highly esteemed figure in the African film industry with extensive connections.

This acknowledgment underscores Joseph's commitment to leveraging the expertise and networks of esteemed professionals like Hatibu Madudu to propel ZIFF forward.

He is eyeing strong international and local corporate agency relations, and they have already created good working relationships with different countries globally.

He mentioned the European Union, China, and Indonesia.

The festival starts on August 1–4 this year, but some activities will start prior to the event.