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Langalakhe Mabena
IT was a “noble” idea to give young people a platform for self-expression through musical art and eradicating drug abuse in Bulawayo.
However, it appears to have turned into nothing but a case of fraud with details emerging that the finals of the show, which were supposed to be held in Bulawayo in May Last year are still pending.
Contestants say there has been no official communication from the organisers.
Star Africa — a talent search competition was created last year, providing a public forum that identifies gifted young artistes and helps them start their professional careers.
The inaugural auditions of the competition took place in April 2023, targeting up-and-coming creatives aged between 13 to 20 years.
Hundreds of contestants were each made to pay US$10 as a registration fee, with groups paying up to US$30.
The ultimate winner was said to be guaranteed R150 000 (approximately US$8 300) in cash.
To spice things up, the main top three winners were also expected to sign a recording deal that would be complemented by a local and international music distribution deal.
Created by Afrluent Media, Heart Fx and Rodney Films, designed to run from April to May 2023, the competition was called to a halt without any formal communication to competitors (some who paid to be part of the programme), as well as to fans.
This affected contestants who made it to the top 16 including Valerie, Rebecca, Romeo, Tadiwa, Bhekiwe, Tabitha, Talent, Taru, MK, Noluthando, Kwazi, Noma, Papi, Slake, Lwazi and Tadiwanashe.
Almost a year without crowning the winner, B-Metro made a follow-up on the issue, and the founder of Star Africa, Nicolette Mdluli, who is also the founder of Afrluent Media, editor-in-chief of Affluencer Magazine and African Influencer Awards, said the competition is set to continue with the winner to be crowned in March this year.
“The competition is set to continue. The delays are due to other commitments from our producers as they shoot and edit some shows for DStv. Currently, they are in the process of wrapping up.
“The show is left with four finalists performances and we are in the process of creating a venue where we won’t have to move around, that will be the official base for Star Africa’s upcoming seasons,” said Mdluli.
She refuted the show as a scam or fraud.
“For us the show is about creating a platform for young people to showcase their talent, and part of the delay is creating a hub to house that talent once the show is completed.
“For us, it’s about offering a package that will elevate the artiste’s musical career and to create exportable brands of creatives and that is not an overnight task. The show was not about making the artistes pay as we only had not more than 15 paid candidates and yet we still ran activations around the city, and we’ll continue to do so,” said Mdluli.
She gave assurance that the show will come back strong as “information will be communicated directly via the show’s channels of communication once the official venue is set up and completed, and an official opening and performances will be held.
Online Reporter