Last week Zimbabwe music awards (Zima) made a return after a long absence from the arts scene announcing their nominees for the year.
Were there any surprises? No. Any development from those that have tried to honour artistes and musicians before? Not if you ask me.
If any, more questions were asked rather than answered ranging from how the genrés and artistes were categorised to the old tune we sing everyday about the conspicuous absence of artistes from “our region” whatever that region is.
Sometimes I wonder whether it’s the region or the language that is mischievously represented in all national awards, or both.
I also ask myself what it is and should be a consideration anyway, but artistes from the southern region were again left with eggs on faces.
It is not that none were nominated but the few who include Mokoomba, Black Umfolosi, KLAP and Obediah Matulana deserve due recognition. Matulana and Umfolosi have been left in darkness for far too long.
Mokoomba on the other hand are ripe and ready to be honoured. They have shown nothing but sheer brilliance locally and internationally. We congratulate them wholeheartedly. May they go on and do our region proud.
Why do I get a feeling when people sit at panels to nominate artistes and all is done they then, on second thought, drop in one or two from this region just to appease “us?”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
No disrespect to the nominated artistes at all but I feel we deserve even more. If they are that few and not any of them win, the writing would be on the wall. The nominations smack of being rather cosmetic, a balancing act and a political apology.
While we may whine as much as we do over the lack thereof of recognition of local artistes, we still need to sober up and ask ourselves serious questions.
Who is to blame for the blackout? Is it deliberate? Are local artistes doing enough? Do they submit their work for consideration?
Yes, I think artistes from the region have shown more professionalism and more hunger for success.
My greatest worry is whether all that hard work is visible enough to be recognised. I still insist that we have so much talent that has not been exposed and brought to the fore enough to achieve its potential.
I know young artistes like Xmile, Hwabaraty, Thandi Dhlana, Jabu, Noma Mkhwananzi and KLAP, among many more whose talent and music should be receiving more publicity than occasional profile columns in local publications.
When will we read about them in papers from other regions as much as we do about those from other regions in local media?
I need to applaud the likes of Morris Touch who always play so much of music from this region on Zifm, but why must such good music be restricted to graveyard shifts and played when the whole country is in dreamland?
Many good songs have never reached the ears of the intended public. Many good performances, music videos have never gone beyond You Tube, Facebook and other social platforms.
What it means is that all the talent we expect to be recognised nationally has never crossed Shangani River let alone been played on a local radio station. You can even see how excited artistes from the region are if their song plays on radio.
They will text and post statuses about it, understandably so because it’s very rare. We cannot therefore totally blame awards of national stature to suddenly recognise talent that has not been given enough exposure over the year.
They simply do not know about them as much as the public also knows little about their craft.
That is why we need to take last week’s radio station bids and presentations more seriously. We just need the best bidders to win. All of them made huge promises to local talent and promised us heaven and earth.
I hope the Tafataona Mahoso-led team give us the best radio station for the city.
The need is dire and I believe if we can be afforded a radio station that gives priority to unveiling good music and musicians from the region the moment they hit the waves, then this will go a long way in solving the dilemma we face.
Whoever wins the blessing to broadcast in the city must appreciate the enormous task that awaits them. It should not be about playing quantity but quality too. They must know that when they start broadcasting everybody will be excited and will tune in.
There will be no time for a false start because if the public writes them off the moment they start we would be back in the doldrums. They will need to act as a lever, a platform, a stepping stone to national recognition for local talent.
Do not shut the artistes out later. Open your office doors wider than you opened the Rainbow Hotel doors when you invited them to support your presentations. Keep walking!
Follow me on twitter @NkueInnoeDube or email [email protected]
