Iyasa: Where it all began

Nkululeko Innocent Dube .
THE STORY of Iyasa cannot be told in one sentence andA� I always struggle to find the starting point.
Did it start in Plumtree as a rural boy herding cattle or when my uncle and I would go around the villages with home-made puppets, staging five-minute shows for a few coins?

Maybe it started at Mzingwane High School when as a poet andA� actor together with the likes of Babongile Sikhonjwa, we hopped from one school stage to another and emerged as school celebrities.

My thirst for the arts was still unquenched until I found myself on the sidelines of a historic movie shoot that changed my life.

Mbongeni Ngemaa��s Sarafina was indeed the movie that inspired the birth of IYASA a�?s concept. Never in my life had I seen young people so energetic, dazzling and so well knitted in choreography. I had found my passion.

I had a career and an education to pursue. That I never set aside. I found myself teaching at Mpopoma High school where I mentored the drama club. The school group rose to stunning heights within a very short time.

They became probably one of the countrya��s most sought after school groups at national and private events. The release of a rendition of Mbongeni Ngemaa��s Woza My Fohloza only helped to propel the school group to unprecedented fame in the country.

It became apparent that the group could not be confined to a school environment. I had to decide to be a teacher or to follow my dream. God knows l loved my job. I left Mpopoma High School and joined Northlea High School albeit briefly.

It turned out my arts ghost would follow me there. The calling was irresistible.

Out there the world was unkind to my pending decision. It spoke of how poor artistes were, how they could barely make a living, how they died paupers. It made me feel safer in a job that was acceptable in society, and guaranteed me a monthly salary. On the other hand I had worked with the likes of Albert Nyathi, I admired Cont Mhlangaa��s biography while every Sunday I read about successful playwrights like Raisedon Baya and others in the press. I had a dream. It was time to wake up and live it.

I therefore did not hesitate to resign from my job. MyA� source of inspiration was my family who stood by me as I set on the new road whose destination was never certain.

My comfort? An education that I believed would be my insurance.

We needed a platform to take that talent to greater heights and turn the promising youngsters into budding professionals. That also inspired the naming of the group.

It was going to be a platform for young people to establish careers in the arts. The bridge between new fresh, budding talents and the professional career pursuit in the arts.A� We wanted to nurture talent and market it to the world and to create a stageA� for young people to discover themselves and their capabilities in an environment that does not intimidate them.

Iyasa took off in 2001 after most of the founder members had completed their schooling . Founder members included song bird Sandra Ndebele, Tsungai Tsikirai, Noma Mkhwananzi, Futurelove Sibanda, Prelude Sibindi, the Magonya siblings Siphephiso aka Pepsie and Silethemba, Sibonisiwe Sithole and many more.

It was a struggle. The grass was not exactly as green as we assumed on the other side of the fence.A� I vividly remember how l met Sandra Ndebele every single day at Bulawayo a�?s Tredgold BuildingA� for our daily marketing errands.

We knockedA� at every office door soliciting for weddings and corporate events. Some gave us an ear yet some not even a chance to step into their air-conditioned spaces. Some invited and paid the group for its work yet some just told us we were good. We learnt that people love your work until they have to pay for it!

We slept in many a classroom before we knew the comfort of hotels. We walked to many rural venues before we could fasten seat belts at the request of air hostesses.

The story of Iyasa cannot be told without mentioning The New Windermere Hotel. Their managementA� invitedA� IYASA to perform there every weekend. I found it awkward in the beginning because we would perform for them and just a few of their friends . We had exactly three songs that we would replay after every thirty minutes. Interest grew. The following ballooned . We also created a bigger show and IYASA went on to become an entertainment name synonymous to the venue.A� We shared the stage with various local and regional acts that included the Soul Brothers, Freddie Gwala , Mzekezeke, Brown Dash, Alick Macheso and Tongai Moyo.

We released a track, Bump Jive that did very well. The climax was when we did a video for the late Solomon Skuza, Banolila featuring his brother Chase Skuza. The song and video became Iyasaa��s signature tune. It also threw into the limelight , Futurelove who was significant in the act with his dance in a skirt , rolling eyes and comic character.

From then IYASA could only grow, globe trotting andA� performing in countries such as Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia,Slovakia, Lichtenstein,Sweden,France, Japan,China and Spain. We established relationships with various arts agencies and companies worldwide.

IYASA became the mother of upcoming and already established talents. Sandra Ndebele is a good example of IYASAa��s culture of nurturing talent.
Others include Futurelove Sibanda yetA� Nkwali has also hit the ground running. Tsungai Tsikirai, who is based in the U.K. is also doing well.
Prelude Sibindi had a stint with the South African soapie, Generations while siblings Pepsi & Silethemba Magonya scoredA� lucrative contracts with the world acclaimed musical circus show, Mother Africa taking them to Australia and USA respectively.

We have also gained the prefix, a�?award winning a�? attached to our name for the many awards we have scooped locally and internationally.

Sadly we lost some of our members over the years namely Cynthia Khumalo and Emmanuel Dlamini. The year 2008 was also difficult . When the economy wilted that affected us a lot andA� most of our founder members went to search for greener pastures, mainly in South Africa.
Transition was not easy . Some audiences still expected to see their a�?original a�? darlings . WeA� got a lot of negative publicity and speculation that we were probably on the way down and out.
We however turned a new page because the newA� generation withstood and weathered the storm to come out as the new darlings. They have done well to maintain the legacy especially if you consider their hit song Sjaiva Sibancane.
We also had a lot of groups mushrooming and performingA� acts similar to ours. Ironically I felt honored . We started a dance revolution in Zimbabwe .The groups empowered more young people. The downer however was that some of them compromised quality for a quick buck while others masqueraded themselves as the IYASA.
This confused our clientele and general public. We suffered the consequences business wise. Growth is also measured by how many people you inspire along the way.
l never thought IA� would live to read textbooks with chapters about IYASA. I never imagined university students researching on IYASA. I only dared to dream. We are not makers of history, we are made by history.
told without mentioning The New Windermere Hotel. Their managementA� invitedA� Iyasa to perform there every weekend. I found it awkward in the beginning because we would perform for them and just a few of their friends. We had exactly three songs that we would replay after every thirty minutes. Interest grew. The following ballooned. We also created a bigger show and Iyasa went on to become an entertainment name synonymous to the venue. We shared the stage with various local and regional acts that included the Soul Brothers, Freddie Gwala , Mzekezeke, Brown Dash, Alick Macheso and Tongai Moyo.

We released a track, Bump Jive that did very well. The climax was when we did a video for the late Solomon Skuza, Banolila featuring his brother Chase Skuza. The song and video became Iyasaa��s signature tune. It also threw into the limelight , Futurelove who was significant in the act with his dance in a skirt , rolling eyes and comic character.

From then Iyasa could only grow, globe trotting andA� performing in countries such as Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia,Slovakia, Lichtenstein,Sweden,France, Japan,China and Spain. We established relationships with various arts agencies and companies worldwide.

Iyasa became the mother of upcoming and already established talents. Sandra Ndebele is a good example of Iyasaa��s culture of nurturing talent.

Others include Futurelove Sibanda yetA� Nkwali has also hit the ground running. Tsungai Tsikirai, who is based in the UK is also doing well.

Prelude Sibindi had a stint with the South African soapie, Generations while siblings Pepsi & Silethemba Magonya scoredA� lucrative contracts with the world acclaimed musical circus show, Mother Africa taking them to Australia and USA respectively.

We have also gained the prefix, a�?award winninga�? attached to our name for the many awards we have scooped locally and internationally.

Sadly we lost some of our members over the years namely Cynthia Khumalo and Emmanuel Dlamini. The year 2008 was also difficult . When the economy wilted that affected us a lot andA� most of our founder members went to search for greener pastures, mainly in South Africa.

Transition was not easy.A� Some audiences still expected to see their a�?originala�? darlings . WeA� got a lot of negative publicity and speculation that we were probably on the way down and out.

We however, turned a new page because the newA� generation withstood and weathered the storm to come out as the new darlings. They have done well to maintain the legacy especially if you consider their hit song Sjaiva Sibancane.

We also had a lot of groups mushrooming and performingA� acts similar to ours. Ironically I felt honoured. We started a dance revolution in Zimbabwe. The groups empowered more young people. The downer however, was that some of them compromised quality for a quick buck while others masqueraded themselves as the Iyasa.

This confused our clientele and general public. We suffered the consequences business wise. Growth is also measured by how many people you inspire along the way.

l never thought IA� would live to read textbooks with chapters about Iyasa. I never imagined university students researching on Iyasa. I only dared to dream. We are not makers of history, we are made by history.