adminMercy Ngwebvu
BESIDES being a man of cloth, a Mutare-based church leader has turned his attention to the youth in a bid to promote local dancehall music talent as per his aspirations to see youths making the best out of their abilities.Speaking to The Weekender, Madzibaba John Karembera of the Johane Masowe Yechishanu Yenyenyedzi Nomwe said he had set up a studio specifically for the benefit of the youths in Mutare as well as the province at large.
“My main aim is to support local talent, especially the youths. I have them at heart and I want to do the best I can to ensure that I help the upcoming artistes within my reach.
“I have come to realise that most talent in Mutare goes unnoticed because of lack of resources and exposure for the young artistes.
“Most people are yet to understand that music can be pursued as a career, so through my studio, I want to help these youths to achieve their dreams and do something with their lives,” he said.
Asked to speak about his projects, Madzibaba John said he had various medleys and riddims he was working on.
“We have different projects lined up in the form of dramas, riddim compilations, medleys and videos. There is the Big Jokar riddim, which is already running and we have a video for it, which is set to be launched on Saturday (tomorrow).
“As a way of helping the youths to network, we are preparing for the creation of a new riddim which will encompass artistes from Mutare and Chitungwiza.
“We intend to have seven artistes from Mutare, seven from Chitungwiza and three renowned dancehall artistes, but we are yet to decide which ones we will work with.
“Abel T and Jeezy Jena will be the producers of this new riddim,” continued Madzibaba John.
One of the artistes and beneficiaries of Madzibaba John’s studio services, Fungai Rujuwa, described the new development as a noble way of ensuring that youths achieve their dreams.
“I, for one, appreciate Madzibaba’s efforts because he is helping us achieve our dreams. He sponsors all the projects and though it is not always a bed of roses, our financial woes are somehow addressed and we could not have done it on our own.
“We really wish we had our own radio station in Mutare. That way, we would have more of our music enjoying the airwaves. At the moment, only one of our riddims, Mutare Madness, hit the airwaves but if we had our own station, things would be better,” he said.
The studio, known as Big Jokar Records, is situated in Dangamvura and started functioning in 2012.
Online Reporter