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THERE is a niche shared by young creative minds in Bulawayo. Besides being known for their acts in entertainment circles, they are gifted in ways unimaginable. They can multi-task.
Away from their place of work, once done with the 8AM to 5PM shift, they engage in social responsibility activities. In the spirit of giving back to society, they in turn empower themselves and bridge ideas.
This observation is in reference to the work of Bulawayo art practitioners planning the biggest show in the city on December 20 – the Sunduza Mahlaba concert. The plan is to commemorate the life of one of Zimbabwe’s greatest cultural ambassadors, the late Simon Mahlaba Banda.
What makes the organisers of this concert worthy to fill public space is because they are sparing their time for a worthy cause.
Banda, as many of the elder folk would remember, was the lead man in the internationally acclaimed Sunduza Boys.
At the prime of his career, Banda was the singer to the sound track Power of One, the movie shot in Bulawayo featuring Morgan Freeman.
The 1980s babies could have been the last generation to have experienced the Sunduza Boys moment. Vividly, memories are stark clear when young boys would form cliques and brand themselves, largely inspired by musical celebrities.
So popular were the Sunduza Boys that they broke boundaries and pioneered the global spread of imbube and other traditional music genres.
Many who enjoyed their youth back in the days attest to the magic-bullet effect that hit the entertainment scene when Sunduza ruled the roost.
Being a type of music that is shunned, imbube is rising from the ashes.
Entertainment bugs all agree to a moment of liking a bit of traditional because it’s closer to the heart, maybe.
With Martin Sibanda’s Ndolwane making waves, how high would be the tide if Sunduza Boys could be revived?
The staging of the Simon Mahlaba Concert could be the stage set for the resurrection of Sunduza Boys.
It is hoped that the community of Pumula welcome the gesture by Charlie and the rest of the supporting artistes. Rightly timed is the concert in this time of festivities.
As promised, there would be a mixed bag of entertainment. According to Charlie, memories of the Sunduza Boys era will be rekindled.
There is no great honour to the work done by the late legend Simon Banda.
In other spheres of the industry, musicians, film makers, sculptors and writers are given honours that extend to roads, statues and buildings.
The city council must be pressured to revise its civic honour granting guidelines.
If there are people who did the city proud in the field of art, it means they contributed to the social and cultural fabric of the residents.
Besides having to provide essential services, council ought to give little attention to the showbiz sector.
It takes a fool to say the showbiz does not pay. Entertainment capitals of the world are sustained by artistes. Art is a net multi-billion earner in more robust economies. Artistes pay tax too!
The Simon Banda show is not the only one of its kind as we have seen how other entertainment heavyweights have been honoured.
In order for the young to appreciate the works done by yester year artistes, there must be commemorations of such nature. To the up-and-coming talents, such platforms are opportunities to network. It does not pay to remain underground when the stage to perform is offered.
It is hoped that on the 20th of December at Pumula’s Open arena, families will enjoy and young artistes appreciate what music and culture legends like Simon Banda did.
Of being original and fake
There goes the argument on the streets. How original are our artistes. Staunch readers will confirm that we once talked about the need to be innovative and think outside the box.
There are so many underground artistes who do not know who to turn to for advice. How do they make that break?
Is there a music directory of some sort? If I want to hire Chase Skuza for a show, how do I locate him? The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and other relevant regulatory bodies could be having a list of artistes, but do musicians have the same template?
Such are the questions in the streets of Bulawayo? These are some issues taken for granted.
The danger that lies with artistes, especially musicians, is that they see too much of the outside. Yet, the industry they operate in collapses.
Even other seasoned greats can share their musical journey so that the “lost” and confused young will learn.
Why is it that artistes competing on the same stage do not get the same treatment?
Remember music and the arts are business. Businesses hold workshops and meet to seek ways to remain competitive in an ever-changing world.
I raised the above pointers to encourage our artistes to have open-door policies and a culture that accepts innovative ideas.
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Online Reporter