As Alfin Toffler rightfully put it, the genius of the 21st century is not the one who knows everything but the one who will be able to learn, unlearn and relearn new and better ways of doing things.

Going forward, almost in every industry agility will be a key ingredient of coping with the uncertain market trends that call us to change quickly and align accordingly.

Ben Ojuwa alias Ben Tekee is a Kenyan born actor who has grown from strength to strength to became a house-hold name in the creative art industry. From a set-book actor to theatre-actor and now in the film industry where Ben was recently featured in the Poacher that paints a good picture of his hard-work and ultimate success.

The Poacher is a Creative Feature to be aired on Netflix from this September that talks about a daring farmer who steals illicit ivory from a group of international terrorists and must elude to their dangerous and deadly games.

According to Ben, acting is not that rosy and glamorous undertaking as most of us think about it. It requires extremely disciplined talents who are willing and ready to master the dynamics of the creative arts industry.

Ben who has artistically mastered both English and Swahili language says that has given him an edge to earn respect from both of the English Literature and Swahili Fasihi fans in a big way it has diversified his market and he can comfortably perform in English and Swahili arena and perfectly wow his audience without struggling with any language.

However, as his star seems to shine brighter by day, Ben believes a great actor of 21 century should master the following tips;

a)Acting is probably the most competitive business in the world, for one thing, everyone thinks they can act. Hence, try as much as possible to put your best foot forward if you want to get to the pinnacle.

b)Acting is an art, and like any other art, it demands that you study and master the craft. Please note there are no shortcuts and following the process is prudent.

c)To become a good actor, you must let the world see your emotions. Borrowing from Sir. Laurence Olivier, one of the greatest actors once said, "This is not an occupation for adults."

d)When on stage, deal with emotions, not logic and beliefs. A movie scene is between people, not between robots. When on stage, stop thinking and respond.

e)Listen to the dialogue. Accept the imaginary situation. The combination of acceptance and real listening, along with experience will stimulate your actual process.

After all is said and done, be humble enough to learn from your producers, senior actors and remember to respect junior actors. The relationship is everything as much as art is concerned.

This is the single reason why I have managed to perform on national events such as Tamasha La Kiswahili where I have earned the respect from popular authors and TV personalities such as the late Prof.Ken Walibora, Swaleh Mdoe, Pauline Kea, Kinyanjui Kombani, Dr Hamisi Babusa among others.

#imarisha #imarishadigital #AskBenTekee