Online Reporter
Manje so with Mai Juju
LAST WEEK, we were treated to yet another episode of Harare’s showbiz court drama.
Our very own hip-hop star, Holy Ten, was freed on US$500 bail after facing a very serious allegation.
For now, the matter is sub judice; it is before the courts.
Mai Juju is not a magistrate, so she is not about to pass judgment on the merits of the case.
Let the law take its course.
But there is something that made Mai Juju choke on her evening meal when she heard about it: the claim that the complainant — a 14-year-old girl — was at the studio because she was supposed to feature in Holy Ten’s music video.
Argh! Let us have a frank conversation, Zimbabwe.
What kind of society looks at a 14-year-old and thinks, “Yes, this is perfect eye candy for a music video”?
What kind of industry says, “Bring me a minor to be sultry and seductive for the camera”?
Philosophy 101: A “video vixen” is supposed to be an object of adult fantasy.
She is meant to be the sultry eye candy that makes the audience’s jaws drop.
She is an adult persona that has been a staple of global hip-hop culture.
But a 14-year-old child?
It is as perverse as it is just inappropriate.
And how do we even get to a point where a child is in that environment in the first place?
What is happening in our showbiz?
This case is just a glaring red flag in an industry that often behaves like a lawless outpost.
We have been turning a blind eye to the “debauchery” for too long.
Even if this specific case had nothing to do with the music, the mere context tells us the environment is broken.
We have an industry where some artistes glorify the “ghetto” lifestyle without showing the consequences, where substance abuse is not just common but sometimes celebrated in the lyrics.
Where is the line?
Time to exorcise the demons
It is high time we paid serious attention to the goings-on in the showbiz industry.
We need to exorcise these demons of vulgarity, exploitation, lawlessness and drug and substance abuse.
If we are not careful, we are going to keep getting scandal after scandal.
Let the courts decide Holy Ten’s fate but let us decide the fate of our cultural integrity.
Protect the children. Fix the culture. And for goodness’ sake, let a 14-year-old be a child, not a “vixen”.
