Chronicle Editor
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
THIS past week was supposed to be a victory lap for the organisers of the Garden of House (GOH) gig.
The event, which happens once every few months in the City of Kings had lived up to its billing.
Although the cheapest tickets were already US$15 by the time gates opened, long snaking queues could be seen from the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) grounds by early afternoon, as revellers waited anxiously to get their house music fix.
It was an edition that cemented GOH’s status as one of the premier events in Bulawayo, a lifestyle showpiece that those who love a good time dare not miss at whatever cost.
However, as the week progressed, the story of this edition of GOH started to change.
Social media chatter suggested that residents in Hillside, Famona and Bradfield were unhappy about the “noise” that had been heard from the Trade Fair grounds. Even patients at Mater Dei Hospital were said to have been disturbed by the music.
Amid the furore, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart opined that the Sunday event was “unsanctioned” and he would be making a follow-up to find out what had happened and make sure it is not repeated.
Amid the insistence of organisers that the gig was given the green light, some expressed their fear that the ZIEC would soon join the list of venues in which secular musicians were “blacklisted”.
In 2017, Bulawayo City Council announced that it had banned Jah Prayzah, Winky D and Alick Macheso from hosting shows at the Amphitheatre after the “noise” complaints from residents. Other artistes could do so only until 10pm.
“We have banned all-night musical shows from the venue,” a source told Sunday Life at the time.
“Artistes can book the venue for afternoon performances up to 10pm. But Jah Prayzah, Alick Macheso and Winky D have been completely banned from holding shows at the venue. They can come and look for other places to perform in the city but not at the Amphitheatre.
“Residents who live close to the venue have raised concerns about the amount of noise when the three artistes perform and we just have to give them an ear too. We want the money but at times it’s not all about money but also considering the concerns of the neighbourhood,” said the source.
Since then, loud nights filled with merriment have been replaced by mournful dirges and holy hymns, as what was once a thriving showbiz nerve centre now hosts the city’s churches and funerals.
Of particular concern, especially with the intervention of the mayor, as some feared that his tone might spearhead attempts to drive concerts and gigs as far away from the centre of the city as possible.
Some residents in the affected suburbs had suggested that house music lovers needed to take their art back to the “ghettos” where it belongs. Forty-four years after the country attained its independence, it seems that in some circles the prevailing sentiment is that some genres of music just do not belong to certain segments of the city.
First, they had come for Zimdancehall, then they came for sungura, and now they had come for house music. Which genre of art would be next?
Veteran promoter Joe Da OG said although there were restrictions in the 1990s, authorities always used to cooperate with them when it came to the hosting of shows.
“This is something that has always been there. The difference between now and then is that we knew that there were regulatory times and by this I mean that sensitive places would do shows up to 10-12pm. During the day no place did not disallow loud noise. There used to be a balance to everything. The promoters would be allowed to do what they had to do because that’s what puts food on the table. I remember BF, which is right next to Mpilo Hospital, used to host shows and I remember attending a Black Mambazo show there. It did not matter that it was next to a hospital.
Promoters would be given specific times to operate,” he said.
Joe said the main difference between now and then was that there appeared to be some individuals who wished to show that they had the power to stop certain events from taking place.
“What I have noticed is that people nowadays personalise these things. You have those who want to show you that they can shut you down because they have the power to do so. I think things are being exaggerated by people who have the power to stop certain shows. I don’t believe some super-sensitive residents don’t want noise in the afternoon just because of the mere fact that their dogs will be disturbed and bark.
“Look at the Trade Fair arena and look at how far the houses are. Garden of House happens in the afternoon going into the night. As far as I understand, they don’t go beyond 11pm. What would they be complaining about? If they exceeded 12 and went up to maybe 3am then one would understand. The likes of Amazulu Sports Club hosted shows and they are in the middle of residential areas but there was no uproar because a balance would be struck and promoters knew when to stop the concerts,” he said.
Joe also added that the economic benefit of gigs organised by young people of Bulawayo seemed to be overlooked.
“One thing that some people don’t realise is that these shows, this art is a way of life and employment creation. At these shows, you have your bouncers, your DJs, your food stalls, your drink stalls, your hired tents and furniture.
These shows support up to 100 families. So, it is not just something that comes and makes ‘noise’ for the sake of it.
They must look at it as something that helps other people in terms of employment
“It is also important that these people are not using the ZITF, or whatever venue they might choose to use, for free. They are bringing in money that is then used by the venue for other purposes. Let there be balance. If you, personally don’t like it, it doesn’t mean the whole world doesn’t like or benefit from it,” he said.
Dalubuhle Sibanda of Umahlekisa Entertainment said balance needed to be struck between the needs of residents and those of artistes as if this is not done, Bulawayo would remain a cultural hub in name only.
“I agree with what the mayor said on Twitter on the issue. A balance needs to be struck in terms of shows because we don’t want to have another Amphitheatre situation.
“We don’t want to kill an arts centre and reduce it to a funeral or memorial service centre, which is what happened there. People need to sit down and a balance needs to be struck because we can’t call ourselves an arts hub only when it suits us. We can’t say kill this gig or that one when it’s convenient. We need serious conversations and make concessions because it is all about growing the industry,” he said.
Sibanda also highlighted the fact that the issue of noise that disturbed residents seemed to matter only in the eastern suburbs creating the impression that some residents mattered and others do not.
“People are raising issues regarding crusades in the townships and I feel that is valid. We need to be fair to all residents in the city and not just those in certain places. In addition, access to these venues is very difficult for people in other art forms because they are benchmarked on the rates that are charged for musical shows.
Even the city council venues are beyond the reach of our artistes because the charges are far above what other art forms, except musical shows, can afford.
“So, while we are in this conversation, we need to explore why we are always having musical concerts while we call ourselves an arts hub. These venues also need to be made accessible to other genres of entertainment,” he said.
derick.khumalo