Abdon Yezi

From Chalo Chatu, Zambia online encyclopedia

Abdon Yezi is a Zambian director, author, producer and proprietor of Yezi Arts Promotions and Productions, a theatre and media arts promoting company in Lusaka.[1] He is also runs a consulting firm called Yezi Consulting and Associates.


Early life

Education

Media and theatre career

Yezi has produced over 12 stage plays, three which were awarded for Excellence, and have had local and international exposure in the sub-region.[1]

Since 2001 Yezi has produced several social-related documentaries on topics around elections, child abuse, corruption, debt cancellation advocacy, women empowerment and other issues impacting on social, economic and political developments. He has also produced five theatrical movies.

In 2002 he pioneered a regional international theatre festival called the April International Theatre Festival, which has been held five times since its inception, attracting over 110 participants each time it has been held.

In 2005, Yezi commenced research into the area of Zambia’s contribution to the liberation struggles in Southern Africa, which has directed the independent producer to not only commence on a feature length film but a series of documentaries depicting various aspects of this important era in the history of the country. Under this project the feature film entitled "Nkhondo Ya Mkwezalamaba" (War of Sacrifice) was considered while a series of documentaries, including “Battle for Kavalamanja… In Defence of the Nation” has been produced. The documentary has since attracted positive reviews from the media and was awarded 2008 Best Documentary during the National Arts Council of Zambia organized Ng’oma Awards. It has also been shown in a number of Southern African countries, and participated in the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, in Greece. [1]

Other involvements

Yezi worked with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDIIA) where he led a delegation to monitor what became the last by-election in Mporokoso, Northern Province, before the September 2011 general elections.

With the NDIIA Zambia Party Programme, Yezi planned and implemented a poll-watch programme, where he worked mainly with three major political parties to plan, recruit, train and deploy approximately 60,000 polling agents during the general elections.[2]

Yezi is an advocate, activist and philanthropist in the fields of governance, sustainable development. He has served as Board Chairperson of the Southern Africa Communication for Development (SACOD) a sub-regional network of filmmakers, producers, and distributors with membership mostly drawn from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries.

He is part of an initiative aimed at establishing a film school under the auspices of ZAMCOM. He is also a member of the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI).

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Who we are, YEZI Arts
  2. [ https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=10684 Zambia Daily Mail, Abdon Yezi’s moments with Sata, November 10, 2014]

External links