About Bazukuru, the new Bulawayo sitcom coming soon!

Logline:

 An old man’s life is turned upside down when he has to start living with his two grandchildren.

Synopsis:

Derek is an old retired man who used to be in the army. His only son Derry (Short for Derek) and his wife have just moved to the United States of America, leaving behind their two children DJ who is well into his late twenties and Noxolo who is a school-going 17 year old girl. Initially, Derek is fine with the idea of the children being by themselves; after all he sees them fairly regularly at the successful restaurant that Derry and his wife Sheila left behind. Derek however soon realises how irresponsible his grandchildren are. He still tries to ignore this until his daughter-in-law, the children’s mother asks him to move in with the children so that they can take care of each other and with the help of Daphne and Jo, staffers at the restaurant take care of the restaurant as well.

Statement of intent

The sitcom explores the lives of this unconventional family of three and their relationships within and outside the family. More importantly, the sitcom addresses the issue of a generational gap. Derek represents the older generation: the one that took pride in the joy of work and sweating to get what one has.

He is juxtaposed with his 2 grandchildren who have never had to work for anything and will do anything to avoid work. However, not all hope is lost in this current generation. Daphne who is older than Noxolo but younger than DJ represents millennials who somehow understand the kind of hard work that it takes to achieve some level of success. Jo, on the other hand represents the percentage of the youth who may not have much but are still completely comfortable with their lives.

Ultimately, the sitcom brings together two generations that usually do not interact without the mediation of a third and this is the dynamic we were going for. We look at how different generation interact with each other as they each have their different views on life and society.

The sitcom is carried from episode to episode through Derek’s diary entries. Every episode opens with Derek in his bed, reflecting on what happened.

Character Profiles

Derek: Played by Memoru Kumbota, Derek is an old man in his 70s. He is still very fit and healthy, possibly because of his military background. Derek is a practical man. For him, everything is black and white and there is hardly any room for negotiation. He is stern and hardly ever jokes and this may make him seem scary to some people. However, in spite of this, beneath the tough exterior is a man who deeply cares for his family although he may not always be able to show it. At the beginning, he comes off as rather rigid and unapproachable but as the story goes further, it can be noted that he softens up, particularly to Noxolo of whom he is overly protective.

DJ: Zenzo Nyathi plays DJ. DJ is Derek’s older grandchild. He is in his late 20s but his behaviour suggests otherwise. He is irresponsible and has no sense of consequence. He can be easily dismissed as lazy and uninspired but it is probably because he did not get any guidance while he was growing up. In spite of his obvious faults, DJ is always willing to help other people although his methods almost always fail. He tends to get carried away and will often lose track of the ultimate goal. His intentions are always pure though. He gets along with Jo the most, possibly because Jo is the only one who is always ready to go along with his rather odd ideas.

Noxolo: Potrayed by Musawenkosi Sibanda, Noxolo is Derek’s granddaughter. She has a bubbly and overbearing personality. She is always all over the place and is a bit of a scatter brain. She is very loud, very animated, overly expressive and loves attention. Once she gets her mind on something, she hardly lets it go and very often she has very over the top ideas. Her unconventional ideas however always stem from a place of love. She does tend to be a little selfish sometimes but is always quick to realise it. She gets along with Daphne very well but is very affectionate towards Derek although they tend to cross paths very often

Daphne: Daphne is played by Antonette Sango. Daphne is the manager of the restaurant. Daphne is mature and wise beyond her years and tends to be the voice of reason for everyone else. She tends to act as a mother for everyone else and sometimes a confidant to Derek. She is sarcastic and witty and there is a side of her that she always tries to keep hidden. This side of her will come up every now and then in little outbursts. Sometimes, she tries too hard and her desperation sometimes leads her to follow some outrageous ideas.

Jo: Jo is played by Percy Soko Jo is waiter at the restaurant. He is only 19 or 20. Jo is a very simple minded fellow and likes to see the best in every situation. He has a childlike innocence and is prone to say some of the least intelligent things. In spite of this, Jo is a loveable fellow who is grateful for the life that he has. He is also a loyal friend to DJ, even when he has no business being that way.

Producer: Kudzai Chikomo

Director: William Nyandoro

Writer: Nkosilesisa Ncube

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