Taking Zim dancehall to the next level

Takudzwa Chihambakwe
JUST like the genre, Zim dancehall, which started from humble beginnings characterised by makeshift backyard studios operated by little-known producers, so is the case with the annual Zim dancehall Awards.
Having started in 2014 at the Zimbabwe College of Music, with no glitz or glamour and no cash prizes (winners got a simple gong), 2015 saw the awards go a notch higher with a change of venue, a glitzy stage, VIP section and a massive overhaul on the production side of the show.
2016 is upon us and many are waiting to see how the awards ceremony slated for early March at a venue yet to be announced will be in their third year.
The Sunday Mail Leisure caught up with founder and director of the Zim dancehall Awards, Phineas Mushayi, for a chat.
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Q: What should music fans expect at the Zim dancehall Awards 2016?
A: In 2014 and 15 we were learning, there are so many areas we need to improve on and this year we aim to produce a more polished show. I never anticipated that last year’s edition would be as good as it turned out to be, I was literally shocked and we are looking forward to a much better event in 2016.
The challenge with most people who run awards ceremonies in Zimbabwe is that they try to duplicate what they see at world-class ceremonies such as the Channel O Africa Music Video Awards and BET Awards, but this does not not work locally because we do not have budgets that match theirs. As Zim dancehall Awards organisers, our approach is to use the few resources we have at our disposal to produce a quality product that will grow till we have the capacity to run a world class event. However, that is not to say that we will put up a shoddy event, never, we will work hard to deliver a good product.
Q: Last year you increased the number of categories. What will the categories look like this year?
A: There won’t be any new categories this year.
However, we try to be as flexible as possible so that we do not limit ourselves.
For instance, since the awards started we have had the category of Best Social Message, this has seen a number of artistes beginning to sing about things that build than the senseless songs that add no value. Artistes never used to be keen on making albums, they would drop singles but since we introduced the Album of the Year category, we saw all the four main artistes in the genre, dropping albums last year.
Our desire is that in the coming editions we should increase the number of awards we give out because there are loads of dancehall artistes that are doing well and we want to reward them for their hard work.
Q: There was little controversy last year when the nominees were released and even when the winners were announced. The event itself was almost flawless.
How did you get it right?
A: We use an aggregation system. For instance, we communicate with the fans via social media and we pick what they are saying; recently we posted the categories on our Facebook page and the response was amazing.
From there we then engage key players in the genre such as the media, DJ’s and producers – they give us their input and we come up with conclusions based on this feedback.
At the end of the day you simply pick those with the highest numbers, because numbers do not lie. But awards are always controversial it is difficult to please everyone – that is our way of approaching things.
Q: There is a notion that the growth of dancehall has slowed. . .
A: No, dancehall is actually growing and it is going far. The genre is more or less similar to sungura now.
Why I say this is because the music has social relevance and most tracks are sung in vernacular, making it easy for the masses to comprehend the message. Many would say that last year there was a decline in the growth of the genre, but I beg to differ.
I think the genre is beginning to stabilise and take shape now, the chaotic tendencies are gradually declining and the reach for dancehall is rapidly growing.
Last year saw a lot of artistes touring on a national, regional and international level.
There is greater demand for dancehall in Zimbabwe now and this shows tremendous growth.
It’s sad though that people judge popularity based on Harare only, but they forget that Harare is not Zimbabwe. Zim dancehall has grown beyond Harare and you can see the artistes travelling to and from entertaining the masses elsewhere in the country.