Actor Wiseman Mncube spills the tea on his new arts academy in KZN

Uzalo star Wiseman Mncube has opened up about fulfilling his long-time dream of starting a school for the arts in his hometown in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal.

Chatting to TshisaLIVE about the multi-disciplinary arts institution, the star said he saw a need to broaden access to education in the province.

“I noticed it when I was doing community art festivals. When I am invited to be part of the judging panel, I noticed a lot of groups from Zululand. I wouldn't say they were bad but they didn't have the resources or they didn't have enough knowledge about what they are doing. You could see they wanted to know more,” said Wiseman.

He also hopes to open doors for budding artists once they have graduated through shadowing some of the biggest names in the industry, and ultimately have a student-produced film broadcast across the country. 

“As an actor, I do my own things, as in I shoot my own films. What I want to do with the school is shoot something with the students and we sell it to channels so we actually shoot a feature film where everything is done by the students,” said Wiseman.

Reflecting on a tumultuous 2020, Wiseman stressed that with all the loss, it's important to stay positive.

“Appreciate everything and every person in your life. Tell them you love them so much every time you get the chance, and appreciate them. Let's not hold grudges because people are going and there's no turning back. Just keep them close because you don't know what the next second holds,” he said.