At 18, VJ Neima is marking her spot in a male-dominated field

2026-03-15 - 11:28

VJ NEIMA is slowly becoming a household name, thanks to her niche of translating movies to Luganda. You have probably watched a translated movie by your favourite VJ, but I bet none of you has watched one translated by a lady. Well, meet VJ Neima, real name Shirat Namutebi, who against all odds, is challenging stereotypes and making her mark in the male- dominated film category. There are cynics, as she told Quick Talk, but she remains unshaken and is doing all that at just 18 years. Shirat is a good name, why did you go for Neima? Neima is a nickname that was given to me by my best friend. I liked it and I chose to use it. How did the idea of becoming a VJ start? I used to have a dream of becoming famous – to be known. So, I started in movie acting, but it did not work out. I used to dance – I went for [TV talent show] Yolesa Ekitone, and still, it didn’t work out. I tried video editing, but my phone was not so good with that stuff so, I went to Kenya for a while. [The way she is going, one can be forgiven for thinking she is 30, not 18]. When I came back to Uganda, I told myself ladies have done a lot of things but I have never seen a female VJ; so, I made some clips and posted them on my tiktok account, but they weren’t so good. But that’s where I was noticed by VJ Destiny and he offered to teach me and let me use his studio. You said tried out acting. How long ago was that? I think that was around 2019. I was eleven years old, but it wasn’t for so long [Quick Talk is surprised. Some people really hit the ground hustling!] I made 18 years this year. Wow, you are really young! How long have you been a VJ? I started in 2024, but being a serious VJ started in 2025. Because in 2024, I just named myself but was not really serious about it. What was the first movie you translated and how was the experience? My first translation was actually these series called Adolescence. Movie translation is majorly male dominated; how do you manoeuvre? I think some people are not used to watching movies translated by a female VJ, so basically not everyone will like what you do. But honestly speaking, some of them have been welcoming. Is there a specific VJ you look up to? I was not looking up to any VJ, to the extent that I was about to give up because every VJ I could talk to, to help me, thought I had other intentions. I used to watch VJ Emmy’s movies – he is my favourite – and I would tell myself, maybe one day I will get someone to help me [and then VJ Destiny came along]. How long did it take you to learn? I’m not that perfect, yet; every time I go to studio, they correct me here and there, but I think right now I am somehow perfect. Take Quick Talk through the process of translating a movie to Luganda. It’s nothing complicated; there is a machine called a mixer, a microphone, then the movie playing on the screen. You translate what you hear. What was the hardest movie you watched and translated? There is no hard movie. It’s all about the experience; what you hear in English is what you translate, but I think my first movie was very hard because it was my first time. I did like three to five [takes]. [Quick Talk figures, one also has to have a good command of English. Because some translators can make a viewer think they are watching a totally different film!] How did the audience receive your first movie? It was really bad, because it was my first time to translate a movie and everyone’s first time to hear a female VJ; they were commenting negatively and discouragingly, but now they are getting used. How long does it take to translate a full movie? It can take like three hours. First of all, you watch the movie and study it. After watching it, if it’s two hours, then you will sit for two hours translating it. My biggest challenge is lack of my personal studio; sometimes I may get a client, yet other VJs are still using the studio and sometimes someone can make you do the work but refuse to pay. Are there any other female VJs you know? I really don’t know any, but I’ve got some who want me to teach them but they are not serious. We also have a group called New Generation VJs. They teach every single person who wants to be a VJ, [regardless of gender]. Have you ever regretted doing it? At the start, yes, because I was lacking the machines to use and it was hard for me to make movies so, I wanted to give up. But luckily, I found VJ Michael, who asked me why I was not doing movies anymore and he bought me some machines. Do your parents support your career choice? They may be supportive, but I think they don’t have the money to help me out and they have a lot of other things to do, but my grandmother is fully supportive; she wanted to help me buy the machines [a planned jajja, clearly!] She gave me some money, but unfortunately, someone stole it. I wasn’t able to tell her that the money she gave me was stolen. Are there some achievements, yet? Right now, I can buy myself medicine – I am asthmatic – and I have a young brother who has the same disease. Most cases, I can support my mum to buy medicine, because it’s expensive and also buy myself a few other things. Being a VJ doesn’t bring that much money, so you have to be doing other things. You may release a movie, give it to one person, and find, like, 30 people watching the same movie and it is only one person that paid. Do you see yourself still Veejaying in the future? I think being a VJ is not the only job I can do, because it doesn’t bring that much money. I think I’ll be Veejaying, but also be doing other things. devonssuubi@gmail.com