Kid stars: The curious case of Elizabeth Michael

               At 21 years actress Elizabeth Michael aka Lulu has almost seen it all, she dined and wined with the high and mighty in Dar es Salaam.

Life for the Tanzanian actress who was jailed this week has been one on the super highway.

Now languishing at the Keko Prison where she started her two year jail term, Lulu’s story reads like a fairy tale of some sort.

The jail term was perhaps not all that a shocker after the jury had unanimously agreed that the actress was guilty of unintentionally killing fellow actor and then boyfriend Steven Kanumba in 2012.

The judge cited a poor defense that the actress put up during the hearing and therefore in his own words Judge Rumanyika said: I was left with no choice but to convict the defendant.

The court session prior to her sentencing was quite a crowd puller as it was packed with relatives, artistes, and the general public who were anxious to hear the judge’s ruling.

It was a land mark case that drew emotions from different angles who had a version or two of their own story more especially because the involved parties were both Bongo movies’ stars in their own right.

Fellow celebrities seemed to join her in her time of need including Diamond, Wema Sepetu, Hamisa Mobeto, Zari Hassan and even Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda.

They all had one thing in common; they empathised with the actress whose age at some point was a serious point of reference.

But there were those who thought that the term was too lenient compared to the gravity of the loss that the deceased’s family had faced.

By the time the ruling was made Lulu and the late Kanumba’s mother were no longer on talking terms as the actress at one point felt she was being a bully.

Steven Kanumba had risen to become the father figure of the nascent film industry which despite a myriad of issues had started making headways towards international screens.

Sources close to him say he was destined for Hollywood after several stints with Nigerian actors such as Ramsey Noah in Devil’s Kingdom.

Elizabeth Michael aka Lulu on the other hand was and still is considered Bongo Movies’ princess, whose career kicked off quite early at the age of five, becoming an instant sensation on Television.

Five years after the incident Lulu seemed to have moved on with a couple of movies under her belt, and even a high profile boyfriend in tow.

She went on to win two awards including the Africa Magic Viewers’Choice Awards in Lagos, a feat that has eluded many of her compatriots in the Bongo Movies.

She had triumphed on a stage that so many of her compatriots had failed to conquer miserably making her the latest point of reference in Bongo movies.

The premier of the award winning film ‘Foolish Age’ was one of a kind as celebrities from all walks of life were there to witness this milestone for it is not a common feature in Tanzania’s film industry

The red carpet affair at Dar es Salaam’ Mlimani City marked her return to the screens after the 10 months in remand before her legal team led by prominent lawyer Peter Kibatala navigated a bail.

The rise and fall will leave her fans wondering when the rays started beating the actress whose startling beauty could be the source of her downfall.

At the time when the incident took place, Lulu was but a minor who was always seen in company of mature friends who mostly belonged to the industry that she had chosen.

Little known to most, of the friends and mentors that the teenage beauty hanged out with, one of them was taking advantage of her and that was none other than Steven Kamumba.

Their connection was rather suspected, but even then no one lifted a finger to point out the rather bizarre liaison that the two were having.

A few times when they were put on the spot by the prying media, the two categorically denied any closeness of that nature.

The events of April 6, 2012 only confirmed what many suspected but as rumour had it she was already involved in many other relationships with high profile individuals leading a life style that many a girl can only dream about.

Though the rumours were sometimes unsubstantiated close sources maintain that she maintained these relationships alongside that of the self styled King of Bongo movies.

This, they say, was the constant source of squabbles between the two and even on the fateful night it is believed that the quarrel was sparked off by a phone call that the actress received while at the deceased’s house in Sinza, a suburb in Dar es Salaam.

Lulu started her acting career as a child actor when she was only five years old after she was spotted by actor Mahsein Awadh aka Dr Cheni who took her to Kaole Sanaa Group where she was polished and soon appeared in many television soap operas which were then broadcasted on ITV such as Zizimo, Baragumu, Gharika, Taswira, and Demokrasia.

In 2005, she made her film debut in the action film called Misukosuko, she went on to participate in projects such as Wahapahapa Radio Drama of 2009 that was produced by Media for Development International Tanzania directed by John Riber.

She played Mainda in the story that tells the importance of parent-child communication in protecting youth as they navigate through the difficult period of adolescence.

Her subsequent movies include Family Tears, Ripple of Tears, Oxygen, House Boy and Woman Of Principles.

Several months after she was granted bail, in August 2013, Lulu launched the movie Foolish Age, which featured her as the producer.

The movie was selected to be screened at the Zanzibar International Film Festival 2014. Foolish Age was nominated as Favourite Movie at the 2014 Tanzania People’s Choice Awards and Lulu won Favourite Actress for her performance in the film.

In 2015, Lulu released her second movie as producer called Mapenzi Ya Mungu. Just like Foolish Age, the movie was also screened at the 2015 Zanzibar International Film Festival and the movie won the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards as the Best Movie Eastern Africa, this was before she released ‘Ni Noma’.

At the time of her incarceration, apart from her social media account where she has some 2.5 million followers she had maintained a low profile.

It remains an interesting prospect of what the future holds for what was once the brightest prospects in Tanzania’s film industry.

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