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Godwin Muzari Showbiz Mirror
Happy New Year and welcome to the first reflection of Showbiz Mirror in 2014. Interestingly, it comes exactly on New Year’s Day.
This is the day when we talk about new beginnings and it is that time again for resolutions that we set hoping to better our lives.Some resolutions have been on our lists for some years yet, with each passing year, we find it harder to achieve them. Still, we include them on a fresh list (usually at the top) hoping the new year will give us renewed energy to conquer.
We always hope for the better. That is why organisers of periodic events always claim their next edition “will be bigger and better” even when they seem clueless on their plan of improvements. They will say “experience is the best teacher and we have learnt from our mistakes”.
This is common discourse and it is all about hope.
In the same way, we hope for a better 2014 arts calendar with assumption that stakeholders in the industry got enough lessons from “Mr
Experience” in his well-publicised “mistakes syllabus”.
Improvements are needed in all art genres and activities to match the dynamic global environment like any other sector.
Music royalties
Musicians should be smiling this year because new radio stations have agreed to pay royalties for airplay.
Zimbabwe Music Rights Association engaged Star FM and ZiFM Stereo on the royalties issue and the stations pledged to channel royalties to musicians through the association.
It means, besides royalties from Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, which caused a lot of haggling between the broadcaster and Zimura, because of late payment or total failure to remit the outstanding dues, musicians will have somewhere to look to.
I hope the new stations will honour their promises. Zimura recently approached the information ministry to seek assistance in having ZBC pay its outstanding dues, hopefully that move will bring more relief to musicians.
Miss Heritage World
It should be most Zimbabweans’ hope that Tare Munzara and his Miss Heritage World team will this year stop soiling the country’s image by inviting international models to embarrass them.
Unfortunately, it embarrasses 13 million people more than the 20 or so beauties representing a country each.
The organisers’ announcement that they will be taking the pageant to another country is good news.
Hopefully, their blunders of last year will be pardoned and they will be accepted abroad.
Arts associations
A number of arts associations and representative organisations were formed last year with an aim of improving artists’ welfare.
It would be good if the associations realise their goals in 2014 because artistes need assistance and representation in various issues.
Unfortunately some associations are formed to enrich a few individuals at the top. I hope the new associations do not have similar sinister motives. The new arts establishments include Zimbabwe Arts and Culture Industry Association, led by Boniface Chimedza and a Chamber of Arts and Culture Industry under Albert Chimedza (the two Chimedzas are not related).
Boniface is always full of ideas although implementation eludes him at times.
Remember his days at the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe when he made a lot of noise about Miss Southern Africa pageant that eventually suffered a stillbirth? Hopefully, he has also learnt from mistakes.
Albert is known to be resilient as shown by his commitment to his Mbira Centre although there have not been much activity at the establishment as expected.
Maybe this year he has a new plan to make the centre more vibrant.
Arts centres
The renovations that were done at the National Ballet Centre and Harare City Library should bring good fortunes for the dance and literary scenes respectively.
There were reports that the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe might also be renovated this first quarter of the year, which would be good news to visual artists.
Piracy
The issue of piracy is at a boiling point but it is refreshing to note how ZANU PF delegates at the recent congress resolved that this bug should be strictly dealt with.
Stringent measures are welcome but artistes and record companies should also start being innovative.
This is 2014 and technology is moving.
Of course the majority of arts followers generally lag behind new information technology but artistes should consider other comparatively profitable means of distributing their products.
Ignatius Mabasa did it when he sold his new book “Imbwa YeMunhu” online for some months before launching a printed copy.
Enock “Nox” Guni is also very active in marketing his music online.
Metro Studios launched its online music sales programme some years ago but the project was not successful.
More resources and ideas are needed to make such projects fruitful because that is the inevitable direction the industry has to take.
New albums
Last year most big names in the music industry did not release any new material, which is likely to make this year exciting since most of them have promised something in 2014.
It would be exciting to have good competition as albums come one after the other.
I hope artistes that want to shoot videos will learn a lesson or two from Jah Prayzah’s exceptional “Tsviriyo” DVD that was released last year.
Dendera war
I hear things are improving in Sulumani Chimbetu’s camp and his manager Trevor Jakachira is working towards rectifying his mistakes that cost the band over this festive season.
That is a good sign Mr Jakachira, I hope reflections in Showbiz Mirror will show a better image this year.
Still on dendera music, the Chimbetus should try to put an end to their unnecessary bickering so that the “Dendera United” dream becomes real.
International artistes
I wish you a prosperous 2014. It is good the year begins with a big Bryan Adams concert this month. I hope local artistes will get fair treatment when their foreign counterparts come in so that we do not get another D’Banj pocketing big bucks to be outclassed by a lowly-paid Winky D.
We will always hope for the better. Reflections will be in the mirror for all to see.
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