adminNkosilathi Sibanda
RECENTLY the business community in Bulawayo has been calling on consumers to buy locally produced goods. They called it “the Buy Zimbabwe campaign”.This was long overdue given the influx of foreign products on our shelves. What a noble idea!
While listening to the companies executives’ SOS, it got me thinking if the same concept could be used in the creative industry.
That is a big contribution to growing the economy. Local food, film, fashion, literature and music is the way to go. Consume Zimbabwean Art.
The stark reality though is that in our shelves, we have loads of music by artistes from other countries as well as Hollywood movies. Of course foreign productions are packaged better and are of high standards compared to ours.
The choice of entertainment remains an inalienable right. No one has to dictate what you regard as your best enjoyment but do not forget to support fellow countrymen.
Shakespearean theatre and South Africa’s Soul Brothers might be your cup of tea, but try a local brew. Plays by Raisedon Baya and Jeys Marabini’s songs should be given a chance. Would you call yourself Zimbabwean when the music you listen to is all foreign and the food at your table was processed miles away?
There are some in our circles who detest local music to the bone. They are not shy to say it. They are just “Zimbophobic”. For a show worth a $1 for two, it would take a whip to move stubborn fans out of their comfort zone.
Poor quality and lack of creativity are cited as reasons why local art products are being shunned. That is not contestable with some of the productions hastily released to fill the market. The sight is on the money, forgetting that fans are not gullible.
Professional and right thinking entertainers have taken heed of this call. It has not been easy to win favour. It is understandable that studios throw shoddy works at our faces but good local artistes must not be painted by the same brush.
In our judgment, let us separate chaff from the grain. Past conversations mused on the fact that the arts need a shakeup. Add value to your works.
The campaign is still on. Spare me the pain and give me an album of quality – one that I will keep for my grandchildren. They would be proud of a gift that was expertly produced by a local artiste.
Preach quality and creativity. Local artistes must think anew, competition rules have changed. There is no luck or magic when Oskido sells more in Zimbabwe than most of the local artistes we hold in high esteem.
Foreign acts know well how to reach our space and make us pay for their entertainment. Thankfully, the “Buy Zimbabwean art” strategy is working on one front, where artistes are producing quality stuff worth your money. Iyasa is a big brand in Europe. Black Umfolosi has long been a darling at festivals the world over. The lag is with local fans.
Groups like Siyaya are not the talk of town yet, their name is all over Google. So many promising talents go to waste as good artistes lack local support. Surely, where would Mcheznana and Tocky Vibes make money, if the local market looks away? Maybe that is why our cities are full of underground artistes – those who would rather keep their acts in the closet, than to face the shame of an unappreciative local audience.
The urban movement cannot be satisfied if showbiz promoters are not in the matrix. The value chain ends with the promoter or the manager. Promoters are an opportunistic lot. Hardly do you see them until it is party time.
Cover charges have to be reasonable. This could pass out as mere talk to a greedy show manager. No value is added to our creative products if fans are charged too much.
At one time, at a show held at White City, fans paid up to $20 for a daytime show pitting local and foreign performers. A handful of fans passed through the gates. Local artistes were paid peanuts.
Show managers at times shortchange the industry. Artistes are not paid their dues as fans are deprived of value entertainment. The result is a frustrated industry that cannot thrive in its backyard.
Artistes on the other hand accuse show organisers of not marketing the shows. But who is to blame? On this issue, I will call concerned souls to the dock. No creative industry is complete without an audience.
Have ideas to make that audience support you. Fans bring in the buck. No matter how rich the show promoter is, they still look up to a profit from ticket sales. The possible way to mend the discord in the arts sector is to do like the captains of industry – campaign for local products.
Being creative also needs a business approach. The fans hold the solution to the confusion. The fans are the PAYMASTERS. They have to be persuaded. That is the best word I could find. Singers and players of instruments are what they are because of the followers.
In the elevation of visits by artistes from other countries, we cannot help but complain of the effect of their “invasion”. It leaves us with poor artistes and a market that avoids its industry. Artistes should also solicit the help of those that have experience in the entertainment industry.
The illusion that local art would never make it should be corrected.
To do this, fans have to buy local art. Artistes, producers and managers, please up your game and add value. If United Refineries and Delta Beverages plead on my door to buy their products, what will stop an artiste?
The clarion call is the adoption of a Buy Zimbabwean Art strategy. When last did you support local art? That’s the weekend question.
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