Woman Of Passion: The Kenyan Hollywood producer on a mission to fight for the arts in schools

Over twenty years into a flourishing film career, in her bustling, Nimo Mathenge is at once overawing, inviting, and not to mention, effortlessly glamorous.

"I was made for this," her body language screams.

A pioneering filmmaker and television producer, Nimo describes her trajectory as written-in-the stars "at five, I was standing in front of audiences, performing, writing scripts, and bossing people around on 'stage'" she laughs, "I could talk your head off describing my entire film career, but one thing's for certain, I was meant to be here and I have known that since I was a child." For her, an inner authenticity is everything to her infamous career choice dilemma. "I get confused when people talk about 'career options', it's all about searching deep in your heart and being true to who you are. That is how I have always lived my life," Nimo, in her mid-forties, single, and enjoying her life, says.

Raised in Nairobi to a family of seven, she attended Moi Girls High School ("Quabbz" she insists, and thereafter graduated from Daystar University class of 97 with a Communication Degree focusing on Broadcasting. She left for the US the following year to pursue a Masters in Film from Howard University, in Washington D.C. class of 2000, and a subsequent Masters in Arts Education from Harvard University class of 2019. "I loved Howard University because it was a predominantly black University but I adored Harvard because as an Ivy league, my experience was entirely different and eye-opening."

Steps to success

Traditionally, Nimo started her journey working on production sets as a production assistant on several productions, starting on commercials, music videos, TV shows, and features. "I was later hired by a TV film production company as an assistant to two executive producers and through a tough journey of persistence and resilience, I found myself managing five TV films at a time," says Nimo.

Her journey, which she terms as a 'roller coaster' saw her become a Producer; which she says, "we'll need another sit down for that story!"

A believer in diligence and dedication, "I worked my behind off, I tell you, I'd come home after midnight and leave the house at four in the morning, only to do it all over again! I craved to know everything there was to know about production –I was like a sponge. Interestingly enough, 99 percent of the time I would be the only black woman on set, elbowing my way through an ocean of mzungus just so that I would get the job," she says.

The black woman's fight

As a black woman who lived in the US for 21 years, she weighs in on the ongoing racism and sexism debate in the diaspora saying it's "deeper than you know. You have to have lived there and experienced the limitations present as a black woman. Before then, it's simply a matter of opinion and tale."

For Nimo, living in the intersection between a fiery passion for production and the debilitating 'Angry Black Woman' trope came with its own set of complications. "I have had experiences where I walk into a meeting and find that I am the only black woman present, and everybody is looking at me like, 'do you really have a brain?' or your boss telling you not to write emails because they are 'intimidating', or even worse, watching your white 'just-as-talented' male counterparts climbing the Hollywood ladder much quicker than you do," she chuckles. Soon, however, the limitations started to dissipate. "Because of all that, I found myself working in a hundred million dollar sets. One of the first and most expensive sets I remember being on was the set of Win a Date with Ted Hamilton that was worth twenty-four million dollars. "I remember being so mesmerized, thinking 'so this is what an over twenty-million-dollar set looks like!'"

Fulfilling a dream

Nimo had long been interested in African culture. "I created Zamani films almost twenty years ago because I wanted to tell African stories. It began at Howard University with one of my professors called Haile Gerima who ignited a love of African film in my heart when he mercilessly tore a script I had toiled over and ordered me to write African scripts like the African girl I was! Much later, I decided to start my own production company that was going to feature African storytelling."

Nimo moved back to Kenya in December 2019 and created ZanArtts, an African Arts High school purely dedicated to the Arts. "In Hollywood, while working with a Non-Profit called Streetlights, that trains ethnic minorities to eventually get them film jobs in production, I slowly began wondering whether I could move back home and do the same thing. Build a creative hub where young artists can be grounded as business creatives," says Nimo. Later in 2008, while teaching at an art school her dream turned into a plan, and today, ZanArtts stands proudly in Nairobi ready to welcome students with a love for the arts.

A speaker for the arts

What makes Nimo especially precious is that she talks openly about her dedication to growing arts education in Africa. Slowly raising funding from her pocket over the past 12 years, Nimo built ZanArtts from the US, and this year she finally physically established a space in Karen Village, Nairobi.

"It will be a full arts high school where all students will qualify through auditions," she says. They are currently receiving applications. As the Founder, Nimo declares "The faculty consists of industry professionals who have experience in the arts and entertainment industry. We aim to empower and equip our students to pursue the arts as a career, compete at an international level, and be certified to proceed to higher education."

She has made it her mission to ensure that the arts are appreciated. "I feel like we've pushed arts education to the backburner. Somebody recently asked me whether my school could teach 'serious subjects'. Arts should be considered 'serious' by its own merit, I have the degrees, don't I? When we say we don't have opportunities in Africa what we are really saying is that we have killed those opportunities. The only help we need as an economy is to understand where technology is taking us, and working with the grain for a change."