Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Ashwyn Mberi is a dynamic and charming young dream chaser.
He attended high school at Prince Edward School in Zimbabwe and is currently drama student at the University of Namibia (Unam). Mberi faced a challenge of letting go of people he loved in order to do what he loved. “It became a competition whether I choose friends, family, my work, my passion or my dreams. But for me, home is where the heart is, and my heart lies on the stage. I’m grateful I have now surrounded myself with loving people who understand that,” says he.
Mberi adds that it took him a while for him to be accepted as a part of the Namibian community but now Namibia is as good as home and Namibians are as good as his families. “Even if it took a while I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else at this point in my life,” he confesses. As a teenager, Mberi grew up loving poetry and since then he has been knowing that’s what he always been wanting to do. “Growing up I was very loud and overconfident some might even say annoyingly. I remember being very reserved but passionate about whatever I got my hands onto, especially poetry. That is when I started developing my skill, I was always into Maya Angelou’s work, and it had certain goodness in it which I found hard to perceive in the world today,” he says.
Mberi got his first job at a wine shop that he feels gave him a cultural advantage. His main inspiration is his father and brother who have always been there for him from day one. “My dad who is Zimbabwean has always been there for me, he hardly ever understands what I do but he is always supportive. My brother as well, he is my number one cheerleader, he seems to be the source of most of my confidence,” adds Mberi.
He is not new comer to the public spot light and recently hosted the Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs), and many might have seen him in plays at the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN) and on the spoken word stage putting his passion to work. Mberi says one thing that keeps him going is his dreams. “Knowing my dreams need to be achieved is what wakes me up every day and I relentlessly chase them. I refuse to become a failure and being average is considered being a failure, failing to reach ones full potential. To the youth, dream big, but wake up early and often enough to change those dreams. Never settles for being mediocre,”he inspires fellows.
Besides being a student, Mberi is currently also a TV presenter for Opportunity Knocks on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). He as well does poetry and acting for the NBC Business Show.