Online Reporter
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
WHILE October is one of Bulawayo’s sunniest months, it has felt as if a dark cloud has been hanging over the City of Kings for the past three weeks.
With the year drawing to a close, the cool winds of spring have swept away the last memories of winter. Yet, despite the pleasant, sun-drenched days, Bulawayo has been a city in mourning.
And while the weather has been friendly, circumstances have been less so.
Bulawayo has been a city in mourning.
First, Babongile Sikhonjwa, a beloved broadcaster and comedian, passed away, plunging the city into grief. He was widely regarded as the city’s own rock star for a variety of reasons.
Then, last week, firebrand poet and parliamentarian Desire “Moyoxide” Moyo also passed away after a tragic incident while traveling back to Bulawayo from Harare with other lawmakers.
The death of these two titans delivered a twin blow that left the city reeling.
While Sikhonjwa was known as a broadcaster and comedian, he truly wore more than those two caps. The larger-than-life personality ran leisure centres and night spots that gave young artistes opportunities to shine.
His Red Cafe, for example, was the only nightspot in the city that featured a live band every night.
He was also known to mentor young musicians, often offering them a windfall of work as an event Master of Ceremonies, especially with the festive season approaching.
Meanwhile, Moyoxide stood tall like a tower light for many of the city’s young poets and musicians, shining a path for them as they navigated the tough world of the arts and showbiz.
In Sikhonjwa and Moyoxide, the city has lost two industry leaders whose absence will leave a gap that will be keenly felt.
Following the death of cultural activist Pathisa Nyathi last year and Amakhosi founder Cont Mhlanga before him, there is a fear that the city is losing some of its most vaunted industry leaders.
In hip-hop, the death of the sector’s leading light, Cal_vin, has already left a discernible gap, robbing the genre of some of the vibrancy it showed when he was alive.
In the aftermath of Moyoxide’s passing, some have rightfully asked if the city has young performers who are not merely concerned with the growth of their own brands but are willing to shoulder the burden of uplifting the rest of the arts sector.
In an interview with Sunday Life, veteran arts practitioner Raisedon Baya said while it might not yet be visible, there were already signs that some young artistes wanted to take the responsibility of becoming industry leaders.
“I think there are quite a several young people who are coming through and are showing signs that they are taking up leadership roles. Unfortunately, sometimes leadership is silent, and I think we are seeing a lot of that in the arts in Bulawayo.
“There is leadership that is invisible but gets things done and we have a lot of young people who are doing that. We also have visible leadership and that is still commendable,” he said.
Baya said while some were prepared to exercise leadership in the background, there might soon come a time when they had to be trusted with public leadership roles.
“The leadership is there, but we have to be intentional about how we nurture it. When platforms arise where young people can show leadership, we have to push them towards it. Some names stick out like Lady Tshawe, Happy Mpofu, Asaph and Mzoe7.
“These are people who are jumping out of the crowd and showing exceptional leadership qualities. Whenever opportunities arise, they put their hands up and rise and take their chances,” he noted.
“So, it is either we pluck them and put them in positions of leadership or we silently support them, as the sector has been doing before. I think every sector deals with the same thing.”
Rapper Asaph said from his own observations, most of the city’s young artistes are leadership-shy, as they know that it comes with more responsibility and, at times, unfair criticism.
“In all honesty, I do not really see that kind of outward leadership going around. I know there must be a few young people who have the city at heart… but right now, they are not really visible,” he said.
Asaph suggested that most young artistes prioritise their own careers before taking on the responsibility of leading an entire city.
“In this day and age, I feel like a lot of young people are focused on themselves. I feel like a lot of the youngsters have failed to find convincing success stories from the city and they are dissatisfied with what the city has to offer.
“So, I think a lot of them do not see the value in it and they assume that if they get into leadership positions, all they will get is hate. They do not want to be pulled down,” he explained.
“I do not really see any outward signs of leadership, but I believe that with time, there will be one or two people who will pick up the torch and run with it like the legends who have passed on. At the moment, I do not see it,” he said.
