Idols goes haywire

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I USUALLY discuss entertainment issues ranging from television to stage and artistes in their various genrés. Forgive my choice of subject this week because love it or hate it, Zimbabweans are creative!

I USUALLY discuss entertainment issues ranging from television to stage and artistes in their various genrés. Forgive my choice of subject this week because love it or hate it, Zimbabweans are creative!

We musicians, dancers and actors need to up our game otherwise we will be career-less soon, or will we be? Deny a Zimbo entertainment and they will record their own, shoot their own movies and sing their own songs! Are these gadgets called smartphones a blessing or a curse to us the artistes?

Well this is no serious threat to the future of the arts but first we had the unotoshaya kuti zvirikufamba seyi . . . (You wonder what is happening) skits exchanged left, right and above, now it’s the Zvirikufaya (It’s happening . . .). Audio and video recordings of these jingles are all over the net and social media like a stubborn skin rash.

I will suppose they are lighthearted, comic and just meant to provide entertainment, but I am not their fan. Judging by some responses to these videos it seems I am not the only one who finds them unpalatable. Yes, they are funny and at times really entertaining, but they seem to have created a fire-for-fire battle between those living in the Diaspora and those in Zimbabwe.

Countrymen are trying to outdo each other by bragging about better lifestyles wherever they are and why they don’t envy each other and seem to see that as a great source of entertainment. They show off clothes, food, property, cars, jacuzzis, you name it all in the game of out bidding each other as to why they will never come back to Zimbabwe or why the later will never go for greener pastures in the Diaspora. Fellow Zimbabweans, how can we find entertainment and satisfaction in the misery of others?

Do we still to this date view jacuzzis, eating good food and driving a car as a symbol of success? How do neutrals, people from other countries who watch these videos then view us? Do they understand that this is just “entertainment” as we want to call it?

Are we not slightly getting carried away with these smartphones and selfies trends? Do you remember the time when the injiva used to return from South Africa and brag about life there? The bright lights and pretending they could no longer comprehend local lingo?

Maybe history is repeating itself. Entertainment is of good value when it does not hurt those that genuinely struggle to make a living and does not denigrate your origin. Probably as you shoot a selfie boasting on your high lifestyle back home a relative has gone for days without food or medication. That cannot be entertaining. It is like all those MH370 jokes that were created after the Malaysian plane disappeared. Entertainment in bad taste cannot satisfy a soul.

Enough about my creative countrymen. What do you think of zvirikufaya (it’s happening) on Idols these days? Week in week out we have outrageous contestants who seem to be talentless in the least gracing the esteemed Idols stage and making fools of themselves.

They crack our ribs with stunts ranging from discord, funny costumes to clueless dance moves! What’s happening to the arts world? Surely before these people decide to go and give it a try at Idols, do they rehearse, do they sing for their friends, family and let alone in front of a mirror?

Thank the music Gods these are just my opinions, but I am starting to think we are being taken for a ride at times. What if I suggested that some of the contestants are planted by the organisers, known or unknown to the judges just to keep the show ratings up and the viewers interested?

What if I also suggest that some contestants are now deliberately making fools of themselves just to outdo each other in being funny and enjoying the moment of glory and limelight? Both opinions could be wrong, but surely the show has gone haywire and how best can we explain it?

I think what inspires most contestants is the fact that they have seen others do so well in the show, so it baffles me that after watching the show one can stand up, follow the example and make themselves laughingstocks. Nonetheless, it must be said the show provides great entertainment, I doubt if viewers are still hoping for some talent unless it’s extraordinary, instead they look forward to the funny and crazy antics and moments from the aspiring Idols.

On a sombre note, this week Bulawayo lost one of its pioneer DJs, Bongani Maduma popularly known as Dj Busy Bee.

Those that used to frequent the Windermere Riverdance Club and Basement a few years back will remember the very humble and talented young man who inspired a lot of fellow DJs. May his blessed soul rest in peace. Keep walking!