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Lovemore Meya Arts Correspondent
Veteran poet and musician Albert Nyathi has called upon entertainment venues to be more accommodative to upcoming musicians so as to nurture talent.
Nyathi said this amid revelations that after the closure of the Book Café, upcoming musicians are facing challenges staging shows at other available arts hubs.
“I think entertainment venues should be a lot more accommodative of the upcoming musicians, and provide space for them to practise their art.
“This will allow them the chance to grow, provides them a room to boost their confidence and later in the future learn to manoeuvre in this cut-throat industry,” he said.
He also urged upcoming musicians to be resilient on their work and desist from wanting more before they fully prove their mettle.
“Upcoming artistes should not look to making a lot of money if they are still hunting for a market. When they command crowds, then they can command cash, demand the amount of money they deem fit for themselves,” he said.
Nyathi, who has seen it all in the arts sector, said music is really about mutual understanding and coming up with mutually beneficial arrangements.
“I am, therefore, not saying that the club or venue owners should exploit upcoming artistes.
The two entities are businesses in their own right and should find ways of benefiting from each other’s efforts,” he added.
Of late, upcoming musicians are finding the going tough since the Book Café, which proved to be a haven to many, shut down earlier this year.
Quite a number of artistes who made it today had their careers nurtured at the venue including Chiwoniso Maraire, Mokoomba, Victor Kunonga, Hope Masike, Edith we Utonga, Dudu Manhenga, Comrade Fatso, Chikwata 263 and many more.
Online Reporter