Pete S1-8

The battle for power and control of Funzi Island rages in the Swahili telenovela Pete as greed, power, love and sibling rivalry collide.

A Kalasha Awards 2019 nominee for Best TV Drama, Pete is directed by Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs) winning director Daudi Anguka (Zilizala). The story follows the bitter rivalry between two brothers, Mbura (Leon Ongaya) and his younger brother, Jasiri (Mutran Tamim), as they fight over control Funzi Island after their father, the chief, dies without naming his successor. He who possesses the leadership ring automatically becomes the new chief

More trouble comes when the mermaids of the island, who also have their eyes on the ring, send one of their own, Safira, to retrieve it as the power it holds could destroy their existence.

When Safira falls in love with Jasiri, things get even more complicated. And while Jasiri would rather fight for love, his older brother is becoming more and more power-hungry and paranoid and will do anything to keep the ring that he believes is his as the rightful ruler of Funzi Island.

In later seasons, all is fair in love and war as the battle for power continues. With Mbura ousted as chief, his younger brother Jasiri takes his rightful place on the throne but he soon realises that his biggest challenge isn’t in ruling the island but in choosing between the two women in his life. On one hand, there’s the island beauty Nuru who Jasiri has loved from the moment he saw her, and on the other, is Safira, the mysterious mermaid who’s fallen in love with Jasiri. Both women have declared war on each other and will do anything to win over Jasiri.

Elsewhere, lost and alone, Mbura fights his own demons after finding out the truth about his parentage – he’s not of royal blood after all.

For this role, Ongaya won Best Lead Actor in a TV Drama at the Kalasha Awards 2020, the same category he was nominated for in 2019. A two-time Kalasha nominee for Best TV Drama, Pete is produced by the AMVCA-winning director Daudi Anguka (Zilizala, Nyanya Rukia) who’s described the telenovela as “the first biggest project of his career.”

The latest episodes of Pete air from Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7:30pm EAT on Showmax.