What next for Amakhosi

Bruce Ndlovu
The exit of Skyz Metro from Amakhosi Cultural Centre came without the pomp and funfair that greeted news that Bulawayoa��s first radio station would be making the citya��s traditional home of the arts its base.

After a few months of broadcast from Amakhosi, Skyz Metro announced that it would be changing location, leaving in its wake an expensively assembled studio that many had hoped would breathe new life into the centre.

After a few months however, Amakhosi is battling to find its pulse again, with few arts activities at the place widely regarded as Bulawayo artsa�� beating heart.

The commissioning of the stationa��s new state-of-the-art equipment on Monday at Pioneer House seemed like a final nail in the coffin of the short-lived Amakhosi, Skyz Metro liaison.

Thus, some have been questioning what will become of Amakhosi now.

In an interview on the sidelines of the commissioning of the equipment, Skyz Metro CEO Qhubani Moyo outlined the reasons for their departure from Bulawayoa��s ceremonial home of the arts.

a�?We had challenges in terms of transmission. When we were at Amakhosi we were doing pre-recorded programmes. Basically we had problems getting things in order. When we tried to do our live transmission we had challenges in that Amakhosi is a low lying area from Transmedia and as a result we had problems in terms of buffering of the internet. That is why we took advantage of Pioneer House which gives us a clear line of sight to Transmedia,a�? said Moyo.

He added that despite the switch they had not abandoned Amakhosi, as the state of the art studios that they had constructed still had to be utilised.

a�?We havena��t abandoned Amakhosi. We also realised that there are young people that want to record music. So wea��ll use Amakhosi as the hub for music recording. Wea��re also getting equipment that we will use for music production at Amakhosi.a�?

a�?Even under difficult circumstances with bad equipment our artistes have excelled. What wea��re saying however, is that if wea��d better equipment and better mentorship they could do better. There is no better place for that kind of mentorship than Amakhosi which is the cultural hub of the region,a�? Moyo said.

He added that they would not let the studios that they had expensively acquired become white elephants.

a�?We want to make sure that the studios that we had already constructed at Amakhosi are put to good use by artistes. Over and above that our artistes should not be seen as entertainers of the day that go on to die poor. We want to be a channel that helps artistes monetise and commercialise their craft,a�? he said.

Moyo said that despite this, Skyz Metro had no intention of becoming a music label but would instead assist Amakhosi to become one. He also said that it did not mean those who did not record at Amakhosi would be discriminated against.

a�?Skyz Metro is not going to be a record label. Wea��ll instead facilitate Amakhosi to be the record label. We of course will be the distribution channel for that music.a�?

a�?We want to promote Amakhosi with state of the art equipment. We wona��t discriminate against anyone as we only want to promote quality. No one will be closed out because they have not recorded at our sister entity. Everyone will get an equal opportunity on the basis of the quality that they produce,a�? he said. .