Born as the 3rd child in a family of 6 siblings in Lusaka Zambia, Shumba had a very eventful childhood. From having to make new friends everytime his old friends’ families had to relocate, to moving to the rural Dambwe when he was in the 6th grade, the lowest point of Shumba’s childhood came when his father passed away when he was in the 9th grade. He entrenched himself into his schooling and church and being in the drama department helped him forget about his challenges at home as he expressed himself fluidly playing the lives of other people.
Channeling his unique gifts, his voice and acting; he recorded his first audio-book for his then girlfriend’s blind mother, and the satisfaction he enjoyed from seeing her enjoy her audiobook helped fan the flames of his skills.
Assuming a double role on one of the biggest Hollywood movies for 2018 was by itself, a mean feat. Asides from being cast as a border tribe warrior in the epic block buster movie which grossed about $387 million globally in it’s first weekend alone; Shumba’s second role in the movie was that of a dialect and accents coach. He had to help Hollywood veterans like Lupita N’yongo, Angela Bassett and a few other big-hitters speak some African languages like Nyanja and Xhosa with the right accent; and with Ryan Coogler (the director) relying heavily on him to help the entire cast speak with the right accents, his versatility and importance in the entire production process was duly cemented.
With a stellar performance in a movie that ranked as the 5th highest grossing movie of all time according to Box-Office ratings, we believe Hollywood has barely scratched the surface on the goldmine that is Shumba Patrick Mutukwa.
*Images: @ShumbaPatrickMutukwa (Facebook)
Stay tuned for all the new and returning shows on Zambezi Magic. Join the conversation on social media using the official hashtag #ZambeziMagic.