adminAuxilia Katongomara Leisure Reporter
HUSTLERS, Visions, Paparrazi, Oxygen (O2), Crush and Sun City were a hit back then among youths in Bulawayo. They are fondly remembered for their afternoon club sessions which gave the youth a night-club feel during the day. Fun-loving youths would descend on the clubs and have a great time during weekends.
Tracing the history of the afternoon club sessions has revealed that they were first hosted by Visions Night Club before it became known as Fuse and later Alcatraz. The sessions proved popular, and the club became known as the “king” of afternoon sessions.
Formerly known as Bump, Hustlers introduced its afternoon club sessions in 2000 after a change of ownership.
Another hit was Oxygen or O2. This was a movement founded by the late Charlie Fresh and Joe tha OG. Their sessions moved from one club to another, they were not fixed like all other sessions.
O2 was regarded as the biggest success in afternoon clubbing. The afternoon sessions were held in order to cater for under 18s, mostly teenagers who were not allowed in clubs at night.
The turnout at the clubs was overwhelming such that there was stiff competition among the clubs themselves. However, after more than a decade of rocking the city, the afternoon sessions were eventually banned in 2007 as it was noted that the clubs sold alcohol to children.
Since then, there have been a few afternoon shows catering for the fun-loving teenagers, save for high school modelling shows, end-of-time parties and leavers’ parties among other events.
Since 2007, there have not been any afternoon sessions in the city’s clubs. No one, it appears has contemplated bringing them back.
This has forced fun-starved teenagers to look at alternative ways of entertaining themselves, often without the consent and supervision of their parents. They are organising teen parties.
The parties are gaining popularity in the city after facing a ban last year. Most of them are held in the eastern suburbs of Bulawayo, where the majority of the teenagers’ parents are said to be in the diaspora — leaving their children unsupervised. The teen parties are usually held on Fridays and Saturdays. Some pupils who spoke to Saturday Leisure said the teen parties were organised by a network of teenagers from different schools with the parties rotating from one house to another each week.
“We communicate through Whatsapp and Facebook. We have group chats where we network and organise our parties. We are a group of about 20 pupils from different schools. We just love having fun so we have a committee which deals with the availability of drinks and base (place where the party is to be held),” said an “A” level student who declined to be named.
At the teen parties, the students drink alcoholic beverages and take drugs while dancing along to music in pairs. However, it is alleged that some of them end up being sexually involved as they fail to control themselves when drunk. The students said the teen parties have remained a closely guarded affair in their “networks”.
But the question is how safe are they at the parties?
Some parents expressed concern at the absentee parents who leave their children without guardians.
“I think the parents are to blame for this type of behaviour by their children. It’s not wrong to go out of the country to look for money, but at least leave your children with responsible adults who will be able to control them,” said Mrs Nozipho Dube, a parent.
She urged parents and guardians of children to keep a closer eye on teenagers as they are easily lured into such activities.
Joe tha OG said the afternoon sessions were a platform for teenagers to exhaust their energy through dance and music.
“These afternoon sessions were essential to the youth who would come and party from 1pm to 6pm and exhaust all their energy without any alcohol being consumed.
“I feel the afternoon sessions were safe as there was security and bouncers. It was just partying. At home, a lot can happen as there is no proper supervision,” said Joe.
He said most clubs had developed cold feet in bringing the sessions back. Last month, Montrose Girls High students turned a section of Barham Green in Bulawayo into a nook for sex and alcohol.
According to residents, the girls bunk lessons to spend quality time with their boyfriends, engage in sexual activities and consume alcoholic drinks during school hours.
Online Reporter