adminWeekender Correspondent
OVER 20 aspiring dancehall artistes from across Mutare District will battle it out in the Word Sound and Power finals scheduled for Courtauld Theatre tomorrow (Saturday).
The 20 aspirants are winners of the preliminary competitions held in various suburbs such as Mutare, Chikanga, Sakubva, Zimunya and Dangamvura.
Henry Tsopotsa, one of the event organisers, said all was in place to host the dancehall youngsters.
It will be a difficult moment for the adjudicators to select the crème-de-la-crème in the now popular genre that has an avalanche of talented musicians.
This will also be an opportune time for the chanters to shine and showcase their talent for hundreds of dancehall followers expected to throng the venue for the much-awaited final.
The winner will walk away with undisclosed prize money and will be handed over a floating trophy – a beautiful artifact which was sculptured by members of the Murahwa Cultural Art Village. It is made up of stone, black serpentine, brass and copper.
The five preliminary events were held over a period of a month and Tsopotsa described all of them as smooth flowing.
“It was quite an exhilarating journey and we are proud to host an inaugural dancehall final.
It is promising to be full of fireworks and we want to confirm that all is in place for the show. As youths and artistes we felt it was our own responsibility to take music seriously and develop our own genre. We have achieved and we are still achieving and we are looking forward to hosting a successful event,” he said.
Blessing “Blacka” Chinyanga, a multi-talented dancehall musician who can make mbira and marimba sing is expected to provide entertainment during the event.
The talent-scouting expedition which is aimed at identifying artistic talent as well as providing knowledge and skills for artistic and professional development is jointly organised by Manicaland Association of Performing Arts in conjunction with Murahwa House of Nyabingi.
Online Reporter