‘Be the one’ to make waves

Ms G Arts Correspondent
At what age would you consider yourself a finished product, an old dog who cannot learn any new tricks? Have you, at a certain point in life, said to yourself you could not pull it off because of your age, gender, education, humble background, or external adversities?

I know I have. After finishing university and landing a pretty nice job, I thought my life was comfortable enough and my training was good enough. I thought, being a woman, I could not and did not have to work as hard as my male counterparts do. Nearing my 40s, I accepted the excuse that my memory was losing its grip.

Yep. Time to take a break. Or call it a day if you will.

But recently, a Chinese variety show has made me think twice. “Sisters Who Make Waves,” the show that is hogging the headlines in China in the past few weeks, is a pop idol—creating contest. But it’s not like the ordinary ones. It has a twist. The contestants are not the cutesy teens and twenty-somethings hoping for a chance at stardom. No. They are 30 female celebrities over 30 years old from disparate backgrounds. In three months, they go through intense training to compete for a spot in a girls’ band.

What a group of ladies! These are either high-achieving celebrities with established careers or erstwhile showbiz darlings who have struggled to stay relevant. With an average age of 35+ and a few over 50, they would not be considered the type going up the learning curve. Some actresses had zero training in singing and dancing.

I decided to follow the show, with a big jar of salt.

But I was wowed. The 37-year old unimpressive TV host learned to do split leap; the billionaire actress who was off key and clumsy-limbed in her debut joined two other “sisters” in claiming the top spot in the fourth round; a shy, quiet actress found out about the explosive power underneath her reservedness. In the first three days of release, the Sisters pulled in a total of more than 370 million views.

Watching their surprising transformation from the comfort of my sofa, I felt my own blood surging. I was deeply empowered, confident that I, too, can be much more than what I already am.

It also made me think of the national characters of Chinese and Zimbabweans. Such a fighting spirit, such mettle. Isn’t it what we both stand for? Defying the predictions of many doomsayers, the Chinese built the world’s second largest economy within a short span of decades from literally nothing. In Zimbabwe, none of us are strangers to sensational headlines like “Zimbabwe on the brink of precipice” or “Zimbabwe in worst crisis”, but we ply ahead. Now COVID-19 is again wreaking havoc with our work and life, our economy and society. But I am not daunted. This is not our first challenge as a nation.

Romain Rolland famously observed, “Most men die at 20 or 30; thereafter they are only reflections of themselves: for the rest of their lives they are aping themselves, repeating from day to day more and more mechanically and affectedly what they said and did and thought and loved when they were alive.”

This is not us as two strong peoples. And this should not be you and me as individuals in our own lives. At no age can we declare ourselves a finished product. No perceived constraints should be allowed to deter us from trying something new.

So, my dear, if you are feeling vulnerable under this lockdown, or disheartened by the pandemic and the economic woes, grab some chips and treat yourself to an episode of the Sisters. It is both healing and inspiring.

I am a Chinese living in Zimbabwe. I like to write about my life in Zimbabwe, the trendy topics in China, and the cultural differences I have encountered.

Write to me at [email protected] if you have similar experiences or just share an interesting thought.