adminZIMBABWE is never short of raw talent, which needs to be nurtured.
In showbiz, we continue to churn out stars with each passing day.
Over the years, the country has emerged as a source of some top performers in the sub-region.
Some have realised their potential while others are yet to be embraced by locals.
How we don’t have faith in our own stars boggles the mind.
Be it in music, theatre, dance, film and television, we have plenty of raw talent.
Sadly, we have talent which is going to waste due to lack of sound management and mentorship.
All that is needed is exposure to ensure they realise their full potential.
It’s also sad to note that we tend to believe that anything foreign is superior. We despise our own stars and only embrace them when they make international headlines.
On Saturday, history was made when the current hottest stars shared the stage at the Harare International Conference Centre.
Man-of-the-moment Nutty O joined the elite league of stars when he exchanged notes with Jah Prayzah and Winky D under one roof.
The trio represents the future of Zimbabwe’s showbiz industry.
The multi award-winning trio’s influence should never be underestimated.
They silenced all the doubting Thomases at HICC.
The venue was packed to the brim, something which showed that we can still invest in our own.
For a change, it was purely a Zimbabwean affair.
It was also a huge gamble for the organisers, who nailed it.
The huge turnout, and the entertainment value fans got, proved that local is lekker.
A change of mindset is all that has been lacking over the years as music promoters were still cautious when it comes to promoting local acts.
In South Africa and Nigeria, music promoters support their own.
The same goes for Central and East Africa where the local artists are pampered like kings and queens.
Back home, there is nothing stopping us from copying from the best.
As a nation, it’s our duty for us to create our own stars.
With the resources and sponsorship, we can still create our own mega stars.
By creating our own stars, the showbiz industry will grow.
This growth can only come once we appreciate what we have.
Of course, synergies are needed in showbiz but we need to trust and invest in our own.
To ensure that we achieve these goals, arts regulatory chiefs need to step up and ensure talent is identified and groomed from grassroots level.
Scouts need to cast their nets wider and identify talent from the outlying areas.
As it stands, those in big cities have better opportunities to rise to stardom while talented artists in remote areas have either suffered stunted growth or simply failed to make a breakthrough.
Artists in remote areas deserve the same love their counterparts in big cities get.
To achieve this, we need to appreciate what we have.
We have but we also need to embrace our own stars.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter