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Tawanda Marwizi Arts Correspondent
Musician Thomas Mapfumo’s Chimurenga Music Company is in the spotlight after its European agent failed to settle a $300 venue fee owed to African Art Centre in Scotland for a show staged recently.
Sources told The Herald Entertainment that Chris Gondoza, who is a representative of the music company in Europe, vanished after the show without paying for the venue, PA system and stage.
“My experience with this Chimurenga Music Company Europe representative called Chris Gondoza has been a nightmare,” said one of the organisers.
“At first Gondoza demanded a strange performance fee for Mapfumo to feature at a festival which was supposed to headline his Scotland gig.”
She said though she tried to assist in marketing of the gig Gondoza was still arrogant.
“I did all I could to market this gig, selling tickets and all including negotiating venue set-up, staging and sound but Gondoza was still the same dodgy and arrogant individual,” she said.
She said the guys drove off without paying for the venue.
Chairperson of the venue Gift Amu expressed his disappointment to The Herald Entertainment.
“We even assisted them to market the show but they went away without paying for the venue, stage and PA system. That is very unprofessional and he is not even answering my calls,” said Amu.
Contacted for comment, Gondoza confirmed that he failed to pay the balance of the venue and the PA system because he had not been paid by organisers of a previous show.
“We paid the deposit of $200 and failed to pay the balance because at our first gig we were supposed to be paid €3 500 and get accommodation but we got nothing. There was no accommodation until a good Samaritan came to our rescue,” he said.
Pressed further, Gondoza referred this publication to Blessing Vava, who is the Chimurenga Music publicist.
Vava said there were a lot of things that happened in the UK but the management was not involved.
“My point is that he (Gondoza) can only give you a comment as a promoter of that concert not speaking on behalf of CMC, that’s what we discussed with the manager yesterday. There are a lot of things that happened in the UK that we as management are not aware of,” said Vava.
He denied claims made by Gondoza that he was the CMC representative.
“There is no such post in our structure and Gondoza is Mapfumo’s relative and he assists us here and there,” he said.
The shows reportedly flopped and the musician is said to be losing ground in the Diaspora.
Online Reporter