Local artist gets international with jaundice film project

Courage Dutiro

A Masvingo-based artistic director is helping to market the province through the production of an educational short film that fights social stigma against people suffering from jaundice and cerebral palsy.

Unworthy?, which is being produced by Kudakwashe Zoromera, is expected to be released at the end of this winter season.

Jaundice is a yellow colouring of the skin which happens when a chemical called bilirubin builds up in the blood. When too much bilirubin builds up in the body, the skin and whites of the eyes look yellow.

Cerebral palsy is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood with symptom differing among sufferers but including poor body coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles and tremors.

Zoromera, who wrote and is directing the film, said the project was an attempt to tackle head on all the society’s negative attitudes towards people with rare physical and medical challenges.

“Unworthy? brings out some vital knowledge of medical conditions as a way of fighting stigmatisation and encouraging greater understanding.

“Society often views people living with such conditions as outcasts yet these people are just like any other individuals alive; with feelings, will-power and often hearts of gold. The point is that people with such conditions deserve to be treated like any other human being,” said Zoromera.

The 33-year-old artist revealed that the film stars Johnson Tevera, a boy with such conditions, who undergoes painful biases in an ignorant and tolerant community.

Zoromera said the project, which has a multi-racial cast, was now at pre-production stage with the shooting stage expected to begin this week at places that are beautiful and of cultural importance.

He expressed optimism on the potential of film in the country, saying his own work will also be aimed at convincing tourist to visit local attractions.