Izeki discharged, still needs support
Celebrated comedian John Nyanga, who is popularly known as Izeki in theatrical circles, was discharged from hospital a week ago, but he is still in need of both social and economic support.
Confirming the development in a telephone interview on Thursday , Izeki said he was home though not very fit.
“I am out of the hospital and feeling much better than the time I was in the hospital. However, I should be honest with you that I am not very fit,” he said.
Izeki of the Izeki Ndi Jakobo acting duo, in which he plays alongside his colleague Eric Madedi, was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (Qech) after being taken ill two months ago.
He struggled to speak during the interview. While in hospital, he appealed for support from the general public, a thing he said yielded nothing. He repeated the call, saying he is struggling financially.
“The truth is that nothing came out from my plea for support from well-wishers. And I still need assistance though I have been discharged from the hospital,” said Izeki.
His plea for support from the general public and well-wishers hitting a blank is something unusual given that his fellow artists received overwhelming assistance from both government and other artists.
Nevertheless, the development speaks volumes about the need for the country to have vibrant artistic systems that could help artists make a living and maintain their healthcare through the arts. n
Everyone in Malawi is struggling financially at the moment, so while I would like to ask those who can afford to help him, I would also like to encourage everyone of us and not only those in the arts industry, to save money for later on in life while we can……..
We all know that Mr Izeki & Jacob used to have some big contracts with the MBC, contracts with big pay outs that some of us can only dream of. So let all of us know that life does change and it is better to save something that can help us in the future when our bodies become so weak to do anything productive to sustain ourselves.
But hey!! those who can please help Mr John Nyanga, he used to make all of us laugh our guts out even at a funeral.
Mr Matoga, I totally agree with you. Whilst being sympathetic with Izeki, but the truth of the matter is that being a public figure (whether a politician or an artist or sportman) does not mean that the general public owes you anything. I have heard some people arguing that the government should help retired politicians or sportsmen when things turn bad for them. This has been presented as if the government owes these people something for being “public figures,” whatever that means. Everyone should take care of himself. Everyone is struggling, and if one needs help, let the help come as such and not as an entitlement. I wish the write of the story could have included details on how those who want to help Izeki can reach him. I am one person who really wants to help with a little something.