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Hollywood-based Kenyan actor ‘Benji’ in the country for premiere of TV show

By HILARY KIMUYU January 28th, 2018 2 min read

Hollywood based actor Benjamin ‘Benji’ Onyango, is back in the country for the premiere  of his TV show, The Wives, which was shot in Kenya in 2017.

The world Premiere of The Wives will be held on Friday, February 2, 2018 at Anga Sky Cinema Panari from 7pm to 9pm.

Benjamin wrote the series and also doubled as actor and director during the filming. The series production was a collaborative effort of Onyango’s California based company AMR Films and Nairobi based production company Tafsiri Entertainment.

The Wives tackles the subject of polygamy in Africa from a satirical point of view and also questions its validity if any, in the modern age.

The script is witty and dramatic and serves to both entertain and educate its audience about the ramifications (good or bad) of this ancient African Practice.

Onyango told Nairobi News the reason he shot the series in the country was because Kenya had everything to gets its self in the world map as a good location.

“Every single time I hear a big movie going to South Africa, I ask why? And yet we have everything here. It’s a sad situation but I hope things are going to change. That’s why I said I’m going to have a TV series shot in Kenya. That’s why I came to home last year to this project,” he told Nairobi News during an interview early last year.

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The series stars an all local Kenyan ensemble which includes renowned actors such as Nungo Marianne Akinyi, Gerald Laingiri, and Zainabu Harris. It has a total of 12 written (1 season) and 6 episodes shot (1/2 season).

Onyango said the goal of AMR Films is to have The Wives TV series placed and running in a reputable TV station or network that will give it the best exposure possible locally and all over Africa. Currently, the series is being pitched in Ghana where he says there’s a lot of interest.

Onyango, who is best remembered for his role in the movies like Tears of the Sun and God’s Not Dead, has also appeared on TV hits like the X-Files, General Hospital, Two Worlds, The Shield and Dysfunctional Organized has also organized workshops in Kenya in the coming weeks.

While in the country, he will also conduct a few acting workshops before and after the premiere.

“I have been blessed and I’d love to get the chance to give back,” he said.

The workshops will involve teaching confidence as a first step to getting your foot in the door, in depth discussion about acting, audition jitters and how to overcome them.

Actors will also be taken through a process of mock auditions, script writing, directing and producing.