The Guardian la Uingereza laikubali kazi Derek Mukandala

Wanasema nabii hakubaliki kwao. Ulishawahi kusikia chombo chochote cha habari kikifanya mahojiano ya kina na Vj wa muda mrefu anayejulikana mno nchini kwa kutafsiri filamu za nje kwa Kiswahili? Ukipita kwenye vibanda vya video mtaani hakuna asiyemjua Derek ‘Lufufu’ Mukandala.
Uliza hata mtoto mdogo atakuambia anamfahamu. Well baada ya sisi kushindwa kutambua mchango wake huo, gazeti maarufu la The Guardian la Uingereza limekiona kitu special kwa Dj huyu na jana limeandika makala ndefu kueleza kazi zake iliyoipa jina la ‘Tanzania’s VJs bring Hollywood to Africa;.
“He is Tanzania’s first video jockey (VJ): one of the narrators who translate foreign films into Kiswahili, both for live narration over screenings in vibanda vya video (public video parlours) and dubbed recordings to sell in shops,” limeandika.
Makala hiyo inaendelea kusema Mukandala ambaye kwa sasa ana miaka 60, amekuwa kwenye game tangu miaka 1980s, na mpaka sasa VJs wachanga wanamchukulia kama role model. “Watu wengi bado wanapenda filamu zangu kwasababu wanadhani zile ambazo mimi nimezitafsiri ni bora kuliko zilizotafsiriwa na wengine.”
Makala hiyo inasema Mukandala hutafsiri filamu kwa kuongeza vionjo kwa mifano ya nyumbani ili kumfanya mtu aelewe zaidi na kuongeza vituko kidogo. Kwa mfano wamechukua sample ya namna alivyoitafsiri filamu maarufu ya Titanic ambapo Jack (Leonardo Dicaprio) aliopoalikwa kwenye chakula cha usiku kwenye sehemu ya first class kwenye meli hiyo:

(Narrating Jack’s internal monologue) “On this party one is supposed to eat ugali [maize dumplings] with twenty different spoons. These are things I would never get accustomed to, stupid, useless things.”
(General narration) “He thought that he would get ugali, spinach, beans and cassava, instead he was served only very small portions of food. That’s how it is in a decent place like this. That was not very pleasant. He thought to himself that he would go to bed hungry today.”

Mukandala aka “Lufufu” ambaye aliwahi kuwa mwanajeshi wa majini kwa miaka 26 anasema kabla ya kutafsiri filamu huiangalia kwanza kujua ni nani nyota wa filamu hiyo, ni sehemu gani imefanyika na ujumbe gani watanzania wanaupata.
Makala hiyo pia imeyavutia mashirika mengine ya habari ukiwemo mtandao wa atlantablackstar.com ambao umeiandika makala hiyo kwa kichwa cha habari kisemacho: Tanzanian VJs Spread Foreign Cinema, Becoming Stars in Their Own Right.