dyton mupawaenda
SUNDAY marked a new era for the ambitious organisers of the Doek and Slay event when they staged a largely successful gig at Alex Sports Club in the capital.
Information availed to us was that 13 700 people paid their way into the event, at least as at 4pm and thereabouts, meaning the figure might have gone beyond 14 000 given that performances went into the night.
That was a record attendance in the history of the Doek and Slay event that has also been staged in other urban centres in Zimbabwe.
Sunday’s event eclipsed many other shows that have been held in Harare this year but, remarkably, there were far less reports of wrongdoing and violence, which had become associated with the event in recent times.
One of the worst cases was in December 2023 when the crowd turned the National Sports Stadium B Arena into a huge outdoor toilet.
It remains the worst advert for the event and many would have folded in the wake of the loads of negative stories and social media trolling. The organisers have soldiered on and are now enjoying good reviews from Sunday’s success.
But the huge crowd obviously brought its own challenges and the quickest was social media suggestions that the oversubscribed gig was a platform for Satanism.
The organisers have had to respond and they told us that theirs was an event, which creates a platform for women of all ages to mix and mingle, exchanging ideas. They said the concept is for ladies to unite so they can exchange business ideas.
“The event is far away from Satanism. It’s just pure entertainment, we created a platform that brings women together since most ladies are self-employed, but they don’t have time to refresh on their own.
“The event is meant for women to come together and wear their crown with pride. At Doek and Slay these ladies get to support other women exhibiting their products, motivate each other and above all love one another.”
This is a tricky territory for the organisers given how toxic the entertainment industry is in Zimbabwe where many are trying to survive amid tough competition.
The Doek and Slay organisers need to be careful and not focus on the distractions while they have work to do ahead of next gigs.
Social media can easily be manipulated and weaponised to fight battles, especially in situations like this when 13 700 people had paid to attend by 4pm yet many other promoters are struggling to reach even 1000 people.
Social media is not the real world and while useful content is also found there, it is always important to keep focused on things that the organisers can control while aiming to get even better.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter