Timmy ‘s Alpha rise
He is easy to spot from a crowd.
Alpha Timothy Nchenje is never the one to blend in, if its not his colorful striking outfit, it is his bubbly personality that’ll always make him the centre of attraction.
Just like his name, he’s strong, powerful and likes to be in charge.
It is his strong character that makes the 26 –year- old Francistown native one of the young movers and shakers who’s definitely headed to the top.
In fact it took the outbreak of Covid-19 to stop the media personality and aspiring actor from relocating to South Africa for an acting role on the popular telenovela, Gomora.
In this interview the self styled and opinionated Nchenje fields questions from Voice Staffer, Kabelo Dipholo.
Q. In the last couple of years, you’ve grown both as a person and an entrepreneur. Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Alpha Timothy Nchenje is a Francistown native, who did his entire primary and senior school education in the second capital.
I come from a family of 10 and I’m the sixth born of Mr and Mrs Nchenje.
Timothy is an energetic and opinionated individual.
I’m the world’s best friend.
Q. You’re a well known media personality. Kindly take us back to where it all started.
I officially joined the media in 2018 after struggling for over three years to make a breakthrough into an industry I love.
I went for many auditions and received as many rejections.
I got rejected from biggest TV shows and I got rejected by two radio stations.
That however did not stop me, in fact it spurred me on until I got my biggest break as MyStar TV show Presenter in 2018.
In the same year I also hosted Clap Your Hands music Festival, and from there my career has grown from strength to strength.
I’m now a confident TV presenter and a good MC and looking forward to an acting career, thanks to those.
Q. Which other shows do you present?
I’m currently presenting Whatz The Fuzz, an entertainment show on Now TV, channel 290 on DSTV.
I’m also the host of a game show called Bounce Land Rampo Mambo challenge premiering on Now TV in July this year.
Q. What challenges did you face before people took notice of your talents.
I’ve gone through so many challenges to arrive where I am today.
It has been one of the toughest journeys of my life, tougher than I had anticipated.
I learnt the hard way in this dog eat dog industry.
I’ve been ripped off a couple of times, and out of desperation I’ve been paid close to nothing after providing services.
To this day there are people who owe me money that aare still playing hide and seek.
I still have a lot of unpaid money from some of the biggest promoters and events organisers.
I’ve been bullied and called some of the nastiest names you can think of.
I’ve also lost potential gigs for turning down sexual advances from some event organisers and financiers.
Q. Talented Francistowners usually have to relocate to Gaborone before their real talents are noticed and appreciated. What’s your take?
I honestly believe that talent alone is not enough, for it to thrive you have to be in an environment that allows it to do so.
One has to look at the availability of resources as wellas the economics.
Most Francistowners look at all this before relocating because there’s no doubt that the capital city offers a lot more.
However the support I get from Francistown is much bigger and appreciated.
Q. You’ve recently been linked with an acting role on the telenovela, Gomora. Are you relocating to South Africa?
I don’t want to make any announcements at the moment, but will wait for border restrictions to be relaxed.
I’m however looking forward to a new challenge and as soon as the border issue is addressed I’ll make an announcement.
Q. Talking about acting, the film industry in Botswana is struggling. What’s the missing link?
Local producers are trying their best under the circumstances, but the meagre resources are limiting their creativity.
There’s also the issue of actors who have been exploited for many years.
They are paid peanuts and have to deal with Directors who believe they are doing them a favour by being part of their stories.
It’s sad to see actors doing many takes on empty stomachs.
The local industry still has a long way to go.
I’ve no idea how long the current status quo will remain, but what I know for sure is that even the biggest film companies in Botswana still have a lot to learn.
But we all hope for the best and shout out to all the creatives.
Q. Besides dressing up for corporate gigs and presenting on television, what else do you do?
I run a mobile Spa called Royal House of Alpha, it’s a door to door massage service around Botswana.
I also do Online MC classes and I’m currently working with 17 upcoming MCs to enhance their skills.
My mobile spa operates between the two cities of Gaborone and Francistown but I’m looking forward to expanding it.
I go around house to house massaging people and giving them pedicure and manicure services.
I have a great team and the spa is doing well so far.
Q. How much has the Covid-19 pandemic affected you individually?
Covid 19 temporarily interfered with my TV and MC career.
I was supposed to host biggest shows in Maun, Francistown, Ghanzi and Zimbabwe this year and then lockdown happened.
My radio career was also about to take a turn for the better, but that also was halted because of social distancing and budgets.
I however carried on with my online MC and mobile spa.
Q. Have you ever been bullied on social media?
I have been bullied a lot and I’m still bullied every now and then.
I just have to accept the fact that not everyone is going to be a fan of my craft and not everyone is going to join me in dancing to my rhythm.
Q. What are you mostly bullied on?
I’m mostly bullied for being multi-talented and this one goes back to my primary school days.
People bully me because I’m good at what I do and like my best friend says, whatever I touch turns to gold.
Things don’t turn to gold because I touch them, but simply because I’m a workhorse.
So this apparently is upsetting to a lot of people.
A little advice to those who have or still are bullied, just keep on doing you, work hard, sweat, cry a bit, it;s okay we’re all human but let your name raise eyebrows.
Q. How do you deal with social media bullies?
The first years were tough, I even went on depression and I had no one to help me.
I still shed tears when I recall how people can be so insensitive on social media.
Cyber bullying is real and it does damage not the heart but the soul of a person.
I’ve faced it, I’ve dealt with it and now I’ve grown a thick skin.
I still get attacked and have jabs thrown my way, but I’ve learnt to live in this imperfect world.
Q. Are you dating anyone?
I am absolutely single.
Q. Thanks God It’s Friday. What have you planned for this weekend?
This weekend I’ll be busy with my work.
I have massage bookings.
I’m going to be around people’s houses doing massages.
After all the work is done there’s also play time.
I have a games night with my best friends this weekend