Vusumuzi Cele aka JV Cele, a Soweto teacher is brimming with pride. The 58-year-old will this week released a trailer of his first film that he produced and dubbed Ithemba Alibulali at the Pimville Community Centre in Soweto. The film is a story of hope. It is about a boy who grew up without a father after the father left the mother when she was a few months pregnant, leaving the mother to fend for herself and the baby. The boy later goes to look for his father and they later have a touching reunion.
AN OUTLET TO LAMENT
Cele shot the movie last year, using budding actors from Soweto and surrounding areas. He will now experience the joy of sharing his work with the people of Soweto. Cele who teaches English and Creative Arts at Khandubuhle Primary School has had a passion for arts since he was a young boy growing up in Harding, KwaZulu-Natal. He says he started composing songs at the age of six as an outlet to lament the abuse of her mother by his father. "I used to compose sad songs and sing them to express my frustrations and disgust about my mother's abuse. I then began singing at church, school concerts then graduated to performing in weddings and other serious events,' he says.
FIGHTING GBV
His love for the arts did not end there. When he pursued a teaching profession, after attaining a degree in education from the then University of Transkei in 1996, Cele started cultural groups at the schools he taught at, where he trained learners on acting, singing and ballet dancing among other things. Today he boasts four albums and has performed at music festivals and concerts. He has also judged music competitions and conducted and facilitated workshops for upcoming artists.Among one of his greatest achievements as an artist, Cele says was composing a song Indode njani, a song that reprimands men who abuse women. "I grew up in an environment in which men saw nothing wrong with disrespecting and abusing women. I vowed that I would use my talents to raise awareness against gender-based violence. I use arts mostly as an outlet to express my disgust against gender-based violence. I, myself, am a product of a broken home, growing without a father was very painful for me. One of my missions is to fight the disgusting culture of violence in our homes, in our schools and everywhere,' he says.He adds that he wants to live in a society in which women are not abused and killed because they are women. "As artists, I feel it is our duty to use our talents to produce healing and teaching songs. Whether you are a politician or activist right now, it's everybody's job to speak up because this crime is getting out of hand,' says Cele.
