By Neo Kolane
Matlere Matete has established Matete Acting Academy, a six-month programme which is strictly intended to promote acting.
It is situated at the at the St. Bernadette premises in Maseru.
Matlere is a National University of Lesotho (NUL) completing student who is to acquire a degree in Bachelor of Arts in drama and theatre and French in the faculty of humanities under both the department of English and the department of French.
Founder of the academy, Matete told theReporter that firstly it did not feel right to him to see a lot of young Basotho being unemployed although many of them have talents that can be used to make the living.
He explained that Matete Acting Academy will equip Basotho youth with knowledge on how to make a living out of art of acting.
He realized that there are many young Basotho who are willing to learn how to act but cannot afford to do so due to lack of facilities such as the schools that can train and equip them with skills to perform.
At the moment there is no school that particularly specialises in offering art of acting. That made him found his academy.
Matlere observed that that there are a number of institutions that offer skills in crafts making and pottery for those who cannot afford to pursue studies at the tertiary level. He advises that such young people could find their talent in art so as to earn their living.
The 22-year old has thus grabbed the opportunity to establish the academy to nurture talent among the young people.
The enthusiastic student invested in his skills and knowledge he acquired at the university while still studying. He has not invested a lot of money to build the centre.
“The school admits any young people. I do not need any special qualifications because I’m doing this mostly for people who can’t pursue their studies.
However, he observed that only NUL and Limkokwing University of Creative Technology do offer some courses in acting programmes but that is incorporated into different modules. But many youngsters cannot afford to go to these institutions for a number of reasons.
“As such, it is a great opportunity for them to pursue and explore their talent and passion as this project shall accommodate all regardless of whether one possesses a school qualifications or not.
“I’m hoping to have acting schools in every district in the country. The uniqueness is that it is the only school of acting so far. We plan to offer certificates upon completion of the training,” Matete hoped.
