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Problem Masau Arts Correspondent
THE annual Chibuku Road to Fame is in full swing with provincial competitions having been held in three provinces – Mashonaland East, Midlands and Harare – while the rest are expected to be held by the end of August.Mutoko-based sungura ensemble Hambakwe Stars will represent Mashonaland East Province while Were will represent Harare province.
Ten groups drawn from the country’s 10 provinces will battle it out the finals slated for September 28 at Glamis Stadium.
Chibuku brand manager Stanley Meki said the provincial competitions were going on well.
“We are pleased with how the provincial competitions are going. The level of competition is very high,” said Meki.
Last year, more than 13 000 watched the national finals .
This year’’s winner will join the elite league of previous Chibuku Road to Fame winners in the mould of Romeo Gasa (2007), Club Shanga (2010), Munandi Express (2011) and Terry and the Bliss (2012) among others.
These artistes have gone on to become established musicians in their own right, courtesy of the competition.
Chibuku Road to Fame is Zimbabwe’s biggest and most successful talent search platform.
The programme is a collaborative effort between Delta Bevarages and the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.
Its major objectives are to promote the development of musical groups through identifying groups with potential to produce recordable material and assist winning groups in documenting their work.
The initiative has benefited quite a number of young musicians in countrywide, whose talent would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Many young and upcoming musicians see this programme as the first step to stardom. They enter the competition with the hope that one day they will actually have a recording contract, something which they dream of.
Chibuku Road to Fame has attracted the interest of many in both rural and urban areas.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter