Staff Reporter.
Photo Credit: Word of Mouth Pictures.
Muvhango actress Regina Nesengani has graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in languages, linguistic and literature.
The actress, who is popularly known as Vho-Masindi in Muvhango, wrote her thesis in Tshivenda and focused on women abuse through dialogue on drama books written by male writers. The contention of the thesis was that because most, if not all the drama books were written by men, women are often portrayed in a very negative light and are hardly portrayed as intelligent creatures who can think and make decisions for themselves.
Regina said that her topic was inspired by the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in her community while she was still studying for her master’s.
“I realised that women were not happy in their homes. I was also touched by many stories of women who were abused by their partners. I was shocked that this was happening in 2020 with all the awareness and education on GBV,” Regina said.
The actress said that after her master’s, she researched more on the topic of GBV and found shocking discoveries, dating back from the early 70s. That is part of the reason she decided to take it further and pursue a PhD.
The 65-year-old granny of 12, who completed her master’s degree while working as a primary schoolteacher, is also a radio drama actor and has been in the acting industry for more than 30 years.
Meanwhile SABC and Word Of Mouth Pictures are planning a massive celebration on Wednesday, 9 December, to pay homage to vho-Masindi for her momentous and historic achievement, ladies and gentlemen, we present to you Dr Nesengani, said Duma Ndlovu, the creator of Muvhango.