Meet Shamaine Saira – a young Zimbabwean born, South African raised and Canadian based content creator. Shamaine is passionate about entertaining people, her other name “Varaidzo” translates to “Entertainer”. She is thoughtful and considerate of others, dignified and friendly.
The rocks in her life are her parents, “my parents have watched me cry and seen me through every sickness. I’m so glad to have a father and mother like them in my life because some girls grew up without both their parents. I can’t even imagine what it would be like not to have my parents in my life.”
The young Zimbabwean started her YouTube your channel, Sessions with Shamaine because, “ I have always been a dramatic/talkative person and I was never camera shy, I always wanted people to notice me, I wanted people to be like, “yes I know Shamaine, who doesn’t know Shamaine”. When I was still in primary people would call me a drama queen and my friends would say that one day, I’d make a great actress. Fast forward to 2020, I decided to take matters into my own hands and start a YouTube channel.
I wanted to do something unique, I wanted to stand out, so I chose a niche that everyone will watch and enjoy which is lifestyle/faith/vlogs and a little bit of immigration. I also want to share my faith with people, I have always wanted to do things that will help people and that will put my birth country on the map.”
The content creator expects people who watch her videos to, “learn something from me and, I can learn a few things from my viewers through the comment section. My main goal is to entertain people. I want to be the reason someone is smiling. Come rain come thunder, I want my viewers to remember that when life gives you lemons you should make lemonade because every test can turn into a testimony. I bring an authentic and energetic vibe to my channel.”
Shamaine loves, “YouTubers from all over the world, I mainly watch channels that will help me in some way. If a person pops up on my recommendations page and they have good content I will start watching all their videos. Lauren Norris is one of the best Youtubers I watch daily because of her amazing content. As for Zimbabwean content creators I love watching Tafara Elizabeth, Nat rn, Nellah Grace, Life with Piwe, and many more.
What I like most about these content creators is the fact that they do not fake it. Tafara Elizabeth’s channel is about skincare, lifestyle and her culinary arts journey and she is so original. Nellah Grace is a UK based Zimbabwean Youtuber who focuses more on faith, lifestyle and med school videos. She’s a person I can really learn a lot from. I have a few friends who are YouTubers who help me people like Tino Sparks and Rumbee Precise.”
The YouTuber’s favourite video from her channel is, “the Ethnicity Tag video. In that video I am fully myself and I talk more about my home country and share some amazing Zimbabwean songs. I didn’t just scream and dance in that video, I also educated a few people about Zimbabwe.”
Shamaine experience of moving to a new country, “I’m not gonna lie adjusting to a new environment is tough, but we move. I am planning on making a video about how I feel about moving to a new country, stay tuned. The whole process is full of mixed emotions and lessons. Sometimes I have bad days when I just miss home and it’s hard to cope, but I always make it work and keep my head up.
I miss everything about Zimbabwe, I mainly miss the vibe. There’s a lot to miss. The weather in Zim for me used to be just right. I miss the people. Most locals are friendly and easy to talk to. I miss the wide-open spaces and the natural bush which is never too far away. Most places around the world take the fun out of fruits as the process of getting them is way too simplified. Well, we used to like to climb up a fruit tree ourselves. It’s just fun and awesome that way.
I also miss Freezits they remind me of the good old days in primary school, at break time. One would think that countries across the globe have this stuff…well, they really try their best but not even close. Oh, and it goes without say that every freezit goes well with Maputi (popped maize). The ultimate food/snack that I miss is Sugar Cane (nzimbe) even though there is a struggle in peeling and grinding with the teeth it’s worth it. When it comes to South African foods and drink, I miss Biltong, Oros, iKota, Skopas which is just like Maputi but a little sweet. Most of all I miss the people, the family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers that make up the counterbalance to a life that’s getting harder by the day.”
Here are top 5 songs Shamaine listens to:
Caleb Gordon- Way Too Blessed
Kae Chaps- Juzi
Emily Frith -114
Travis Green- Sound of Victory
Hulvey – Heaven Up Above
“These are the songs I listen to on a daily basis. I don’t have a valid reason for listening to Juzi every day, but hey it’s a pretty good song and everyone can relate to it even if they have never been heartbroken. The rest of the songs are just my chill with me songs, I mainly listen to these songs when I’m studying or relaxing.”
The best advice the young Zimbabwean has ever been given is, “Your Life Is Your Responsibility. God is the one in control, I am the only person who can take responsibility for my life. That includes my energy, my happiness, my fulfilment, my career, my choices and more. I am responsible for me and me alone.”
On what she is most proud of about being Zimbabwean, “Wow, what a question. What a nation is or isn’t a lot of the time comes down to its people and if you are not proud of Zimbabwe and are Zimbabwean, then it’s likely that you are not proud of yourself. That’s one way to look at it.
Zimbabwe’s physical attributes make it one of the most beautiful places on earth. If you ever get the chance, take some time to travel across the country. You’ll be blown away. Despite everything we’ve been through, we’re still here, still building, still learning, still praying, still enjoying the simple things, still fighting for our rights. Every day that you are alive is a chance for you to contribute something that you can be proud of. The peaceful atmosphere that prevails in Zimbabwe makes me feel at home and love my country with passion.”
Shamaine wants to be remembered, “for caring. I want to be remembered as the person that never said no to helping someone and to put everyone’s needs above their own. With so much negative in the world, I want to be a positive light of hope. Even if that is just for one person.”
You can contact Shamaine via her social media and be sure to visit her YouTube channel and subscribe:
Instagram: @shammairah
YouTube: SessionsWithShamaine
Tik Tok: @shamaine.saira
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Thanks a lot Varaidzo for sharing your experiences. Enjoy Canada and remember that nonmatter where you go in the world, you’ll ways have a piece that will always remind you about home( your heart). xx
Lovely comment, thank you for reading ☺️