CREATIVES FORGE ALLIANCES

Trust Khosa

PLAYERS in the creative sector can only go far if they forge alliances and work together, a top arts consultant has said.

Benjamin Nyandoro wants to change the narrative by uniting players in the creative sector.

Last weekend Nyandoro, of Jive Zimbabwe, hosted players in the creative sector during a “meat-and-greet” session.

The session, which attracted both upcoming and seasoned artists, was held at Padziva in Dzivaresekwa Extension.

Theatre director Daniel Maposa of Savannah Arts was among the top creatives at the event.

Speaking to H-Metro, on the sidelines of the event, Nyandoro was pleased by the turnout.

“This was just the first of the ‘meat-and-greet’ sessions that we are going to hold monthly.

“The main aim of this initiative is to unite the players in the creative sector so that they can meet on a one-on-one basis in a relaxed atmosphere.

“We have realised that our artists hardly meet and exchange notes which can boost their creative edge.”

Nyandoro believes artists should not be united by misfortune such as death or natural disasters.

“We need more of these sessions because they can make us stronger.

“The first session was a success for us because we managed to show the creatives this place where they can hold their shows and seminars.

“We have the space and an open mic session where creatives can easily come and showcase themselves for free,” he said.

With most artists struggling to secure venues to showcase their craft, Padziva will soon become their answer.

“As we indicated earlier on, this place is big as you can see and we hope to host a number of parties in the spirit of uniting artists as is the case in other countries in South Africa.

“On the 24th of June, we are going to host Killer T and Andy Muridzo at this particular venue.

“There are more activities that will come along the way as we seek to promote our artists.”

Award-winning promoter, Tich Mharadze, was among the guests who graced the event.

Peter Moyo, Mannex Motsi, Agga Nyabinde’s team, mbira musician Lioness, Tana Kay and a number of upcoming artists graced the event.