Stars win big in Hollywood

Bruce Ndlovu
Zimbabweans this week woke up to news that three of their stars had won big in Hollywood, with the trio coming back with a credible 15 medals from their sojourn to Americaaï¿½ï¿½s home of the stars.

Team Zimbabwe came back with the silverware loot from the 10-day World Championships of Performing Arts (Wcopa) that ended in Hollywood yesterday.

Beatboxer Probeats, who was crowned the overall champion in his category, took home an impressive haul of five gold medals.

To cap it all, Probeats was also awarded a month-long dance scholarship with the Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles worth $10 000.

Guitarist Sylent Nqo scooped the Senior Grand Champion gold medal in the World Instrumentalists category in addition to gold in the Original Works category. Nqo also came back with a silver medal.

Timothy Hogo won gold, silver and bronze in the modelling category.

But aside from their rich pickings in the various categories, the three are talents that would only be recognisable to those that watch the countryaï¿½ï¿½s arts scene with close interest.

For music fans, the most recognisable of the three would be Nqo, who has worked with some of the countryaï¿½ï¿½s biggest artistes as a session musician, and was an instrumental part of Jeys Marabiniaï¿½ï¿½s eighth album.

So highly did Marabini think of his talent that he was brought in with other stellar musicians periodically to fine tune the album.

Although the 22-year-old Nqo is prolific on the guitar, that is not his only talent. Having started making music when he was nine, he started off playing the marimba and drums then went on to the guitar the following year. He is now a multi-instrumentalist who is adept at playing six instruments thus far while he is also a competent singer as well.

Describing his inimitable skills on the guitar, Nqo said that his choice of name was the best description of his musical talent.

aï¿½?Nqo means knock so I want to knock into peopleaï¿½ï¿½s minds and hearts so that they actually pay attention to guitar music,aï¿½? he said.

Probeatzaï¿½ï¿½s reputation as the most talented beat boxer in the country has been on the rise, having walked away with the $5 000 first prize in the Zimbabwe DreamStar competition last year.

The 21-year-old started beat boxing at the age of 15 and has travelled all over Asia and Europe showcasing his talent in beat boxing,Aï¿½ a sub-genre that is still hardly recognised in Zimbabwe.

His love of music led to an accidental experimentation with the craft.

aï¿½?I have passion for music so the shortage of electricity pushed me to start beat boxing, I started imitating music through beat boxing and as a young ghetto boy this took me off the streets to spend most of my time mastering the sounds,aï¿½? he said.

Timothy Hogo is a familiar youthful face and voice to radio listeners and TV viewers around the country. Hogo has been a producer-presenter at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporationaï¿½ï¿½s Power FM on programmes Feelings Out and Chasing the Dawn while he also presented on television programme YGT.

As a model and former ambassador of Thembani Mubochwaaï¿½ï¿½s TMZ clothing label, the 22-year-old believes that Zimbabweans, particularly celebrities, could do better in fashion.

aï¿½?You come across a celebrity donning a T-shirt at an awards ceremony and you wonder what they are thinking.aï¿½?

aï¿½?Celebrities are opinion leaders and they are supposed to set the trends, but it appears they desperately need to be empowered,aï¿½? he said.