Zim talk shows make headway on Zambezi

Bruce Ndlovu
This week marks a year since the launch of Zambezi Magic, a station geared towards bringing to the spotlight the small screen works of some of the lesser known filmmakers from Sadc countries that have in the past been outmuscled by productions from powerhouses South Africa and Nigeria.

Over the past year the station has gone a long way in exposing talent from countries like Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia and other countries in the region.

As if to prove this point, Bulawayoaï¿½ï¿½s own Arthur Evans had the cityaï¿½ï¿½s entertainment scene abuzz in the last few weeks, as he wrapped up production on his talk show that is set to air on the station soon.

Hosted by model and MC Arthur Evans, the show will feature the likes of local stars Oliver Mtukudzi, radio personality Tonderai aï¿½?TKaï¿½? Katsande, Ammara Brown, Sandra Ndebele, rapper Cal_Vin and Mbo Mahocs.

From South Africa, the likes of television personality Maps Maponyane, Morakile and Maru from Greed and Desire and Isidingoaï¿½ï¿½s Sechaba will also make appearances.

The showaï¿½ï¿½s premier on Zambezi Magic will continue a trend that has seen local talk shows grab the spotlight while dramas and soapies fail to make an impact as had been expected.

Evans is set to join the equally eloquent Zororo Makamba as a talk show host on the station, after the latteraï¿½ï¿½s Tonight with Zororo started airing on the station in November last year. In contrast to the very urban and eloquent duo of Evans and Zororo, the third talk show on the stationaï¿½ï¿½s roster is Wine and Dine with Tumi, a cooking show that gives viewers ideas on how to entertain in style as Tumi shares warm and fun experience with her guests and friends over some good food and wine.

Movies like Mariaaï¿½ï¿½s Vision and Dust and Fortunes have also featured on the station while Comrade Fatsoaï¿½ï¿½s satiric Zambezi News also premiered on the station earlier this year.

Conspicuous by their absence from the stationaï¿½ï¿½s programming since it started broadcast on July 1 last year has been the countryaï¿½ï¿½s soapies and drama.

So far, no local production has made any headway with the station, although local film practitioners have claimed that they have submitted a number of proposals.

Prominent producer Joe Njagu claimed that the station could not fund Zimbabwean projects due to the falling rand.
However, the absence of local dramas from the station may lie in the fact that those require more funding than the typical talk show, with the likes of Zororo and Evans submitting self funded projects. Zambezi Magic does not fund projects but instead purchases finished products from producers.

aï¿½?Some of the producers have been very active in trying to get content, although there tends to be a preponderance of people who wish for us to provide funding for them to produce the content.

aï¿½?There are as yet too few producers who can produce content independently for sale to us and to other broadcasters, which is how we operate,aï¿½? revealed head of channel Addiel Dzinoreva.