Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
Like last year, this year’s World Music Day, an annual celebration of music where free concerts and other musical events are organised in neighbourhood parks and open spaces could not be held.
This was as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic which has seen many countries including Zimbabwe banning public gatherings.
World Music Day which is also called Fete de la Musique, was initiated in 1981 by the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang. Since then the day has been celebrated annually in many countries. The objective is to promote music from up-and-coming musicians and also works of professionals.
Director of Alliance Francaise de Bulawayo Jean-Christophe Attala whose organisation had organised this year’s celebrations, said they were forced to shelve the plans following a ban on gatherings. Attala said the music industry sadly faces an uncertain future.
“We’d planned to host two shows, one in Victoria Falls with the band Flying Bantu and another in Bulawayo with Mahlaba and the Counterpoint Band. Unfortunately, both were postponed due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
“The challenge we are facing is the uncertainty which makes it difficult to organise events,” said Attala.
Like many arts practitioners, Attala said the only way forward is to venture into the digital space but said for this to be possible, Government and corporates need to support the artistes with resources.
“We have to go digital, which can sometimes be a challenge in Zimbabwe,” said Attala.
Songstress Novuyo Seagirl concurred with Attala saying it is high time corporates and Government play their part in supporting the arts industry especially the staging of virtual shows.
“The arts industry in general has been affected by the pandemic. I think corporates and Government need to chip in and sponsor virtual shows so that artistes can also earn something. These shows shouldn’t benefit just a few. All artistes should get a fair share,” said Novuyo Seagirl.
She said the social media is the only tool for artistes to survive at the moment and this requires resources hence the appeal for funding.
“Monetisation of our social media is ideal but not all of us have that much following to achieve that at the moment.
To also stay relevant as artistes, let’s keep making more music, engaging with our fans and posting on a regular basis on our social media pages in order not to be forgotten,” said Novuyo Seagirl.
The pandemic, Novuyo said, has not only affected musicians but the whole creative sector. However, she said this was not an excuse not to celebrate World Music Day.
House musician Bhadilah concurred with Novuyo Seagirl: “We just need to accept that the pandemic is here to stay.
We have to think outside the box and make use of technology for performances and collaborations since we have to keep socially distancing in order to avoid the spread of Covid-19.
“I was very encouraged when I saw some performances from South America where Sean Paul joined some colleagues on a live (online show) but they were from different physical places. This though calls for Government and other stakeholders to support the music sector since there might be challenges in sourcing equipment,” said Bhadilah.
New kid on the block, musician Sandra Sibanda from Gwanda said: “The pandemic has seen public events being on and off thus crippling the music industry. There is therefore, a need for musicians to adjust to these changes and strive to remain relevant. Artistes can also alternatively use social media platforms to reach their crowds and keep their fans entertained.”
Bulawayo-based musician and producer Cliff Jeans said the creative sector should live up to its name of being creative in such tough times.
“The pandemic has adversely affected the growth of the music industry as musicians cannot hold live shows. We have to come out of our comfort zones and explore other ways of survival,” he said.
Jazz musician, Charles Mahlaba Banda added: “We should take advantage of the situation to produce more content.
We can push this content on different online platforms so that we remain visible. The situation we’re facing is tough, but we should remain focused on doing what we know best.” — @mthabisi_mthire.
Online Reporter