HAVE you noticed how most people you talk to have an alternate aspiration from what they are doing? They may be the boss of a multinational corporation but, if you asked what else they want to do with their lives you’d be shocked to learn that they wish to be in sports or the art.
The thing is, while growing up we are exposed to several professions and depending on our talents, passion and accessibility to the desired profession, we follow it or not.
On eKasi's new show Switch, we meet several ambitious people who are willing to leave their comfort zones and try out other careers for a short period.
Take the sculptor Nqobi Temba and special effects make-up artist Albertina Lethole (both pictured), for example, whose main commonality is that they are in the creative industry.
For Temba, the passion is in moulding things out of materials like cement and wood. The ornaments can be shown and sold in art galleries.
Lethole’s job entails all the artwork that’s done on a TV or film shoot. This may mean making people look good on screen through make-up, but could also mean making up other things like boils or wounds for horror projects. Lethole could easily work on shows like The Walking Dead and be responsible for the gory zombies that comprise most of the storyline.
So in the first episode of Switch the two artists are asked to switch places and learn the differences and similarities of their new jobs. They have to create work to show the viewers and we get to judge how good the product is.
As the season progresses, we will meet creatives such as chefs, designers, writers, actors, dancers, musicians and poets. We will see collaborations between the old and the young and they will share their experiences on the show. Some people are multi-talented so they will fit in very well in other areas, while others are only good at one thing and they become fish out of water once out of their comfort zones.
The show is presented in Xhosa, Zulu and English
• Switch, eKasi + channel 105, Mondays at 6pm on OpenView HD.