I have just watched our local news and there was a very interesting story about a family that were gathered in front of a chief in their area trying to sort out an issue of witchcraft in their family. Apparently, one of the family members had 2 big snakes (in the hills) that were stopping the rain from falling in that area and that person also used male genitals to open graves! (I have no idea how that is possible). What interested me was how that family actually took time out to gather together to sort out this issue, and it was such an important gathering for them. The chief actually ruled that a cleansing ceremony be done as soon as possible.
Forgive me, I have no in depth knowledge about issues regarding witchcraft and other traditional beliefs, but truth be told, I think there are a number of Zimbabweans that are rooted in traditional beliefs, more than the recorded statistics. It is assumed that Zimbabwe’s religious syncretism is 50% Christian, 25% indigenous, 24% Muslim and other beliefs 1%. This I think is not true. I had the opportunity of spending time with one of Zim’s well known ex government officials who needed me to do a function for them (which I ended up not doing for various reasons which will need another blog to explain), but I remember her calling another well known official at 7am at their residence and they were reported to have left at 5am to go to their rituals. So when I asked her to explain what these rituals were, she simply laughed at my ignorance and asked me why I did not know that everyone visits traditional healers for various reasons. So clearly, there are a number of people that are very traditionally vested and there is clearly nothing wrong with that I guess as everyone has freedom to choose their beliefs, but because people are socialised to believe that Christianity is the “right” religion, they would rather not come out in the open.
Then I visited the salon last week to get my hair done and guess what the centre of the discussion was ... witchcraft. Now you know that the salon has exaggerated versions of stories, but I will share them anyway. There was a woman who had a sister who was married to this guy, but the guy’s father did not like her at all. So at the wedding he swore that she would never have children and the first time she got pregnant, she miscarried. The next time she fell pregnant, she also miscarried the day after the father in law had visited them. Then he decided to move in and the fights between the couple just erupted. It got so bad that they are now separated. The other story was about a woman who was renting this place in the suburbs but started miscarrying ever since she moved in and every time she would wake up she would see a lizard/s in her bed! Then her pastor in the States had a dream about the whole situation and called her the next morning and ordered her to move out immediately if she wanted to keep her life. Apparently, the landlord was using this girl for her selfish reasons and was feeding off her babies! Imagine that!!!
Now there were a whole lot of stories that came out and I ended up spending more time than I had intended to in the salon. Clearly there are a whole lot of people who believe in witchcraft and its present whether we want to accept it or not. But what are the repercussions of such an issue on a national level. I was thinking to myself, if I get bewitched today and I can somehow prove it (don’t ask me how) where do I go to get help? I know in the rural areas the chief can attend to such issues but is that the case here in central Harare? How on earth did the people who were accusing the family member of witchcraft prove that he/she had snakes in the hills and did they actually see them opening the graves with the genitals? Do people get arrested for bewitching another person? Should witchcraft be something that should be included in the constitution? Because surely it is affecting people somehow. Is witchcraft really there in the first place or is it just something that people are using to hide behind what the truth really is?
Food for thought!!!
Monday, March 15, 2010
I love ZBC
I love ZBC! I seem to be laughing all the time when I am watching our only Zimbabwean television station. So I was really bored on a Sunday afternoon ...and evening and I decided to tune into it. The calibre of movies that they are showing is just insulting I tell you. But what amazes me is the talent that this country has. I have been attending the Zim Images Film festival for the past few years and the type of short films being produced by our very own is amazing and of international standard. Why are these films not being screened on our own station? I don’t expect something dramatic like Avatar or something but let me use Mai Chisamba as an example. That talk show has gained so much popularity simply because she has taken everyday issues and has provided an open forum to discuss them and even better, they are in our local language, Shona. There is nothing fancy about the types of cameras used for that show, I mean we can’t really compare that to Oprah or even S.A’s “Lets Chat with Mel”, but she has got the idea, she has managed to captivate Zimbabwean aspects and has made a successful talk show out of it, never mind the quality. I remember the other day there was a kid’s show which was meant to be teaching children how to swim. Can you believe that they showed uncoordinated swimmers from Borrowdale Primary school swimming for a whole 45 minutes? The camera was in the same position the whole time and the most effort they made was zooming. There was absolutely no commentary at all, just children doing crawl, backstroke, butterfly and breast stroke repeatedly! Imagine that for the only TV station in a developing country! I happened to come across our very own studio 263 on Africa Magic the other day and I imagined what other countries would say about Zimbabwean film after such a production. We have to give them credit they have made an effort to capture Zimbabwe’s current lifestyle, but Zim acting is a bit too exaggerated and does not seem natural. There has to be a difference between theatre and film. But how come we were able to do it when we did Neria and Everyone’s Child which were brilliant local movies. I do understand that they were funded, but the acting in those films seemed more natural and the concepts authentically Zimbabwean!
And then we move on to music videos! AMAIHWEE! What is happening to the creativity in this country, or rather, how come those that really know how to make good videos are not doing them for our local consumption? Is it budget constraints? But surely we can make a plan with what we have. I honestly think that our local station is not a reflection of the type of talent that we have in this country and I guess platforms like ZBC have not given the artists an incentive for them to want to be on that station. I know a couple of guys who do filming in this country and they are doing brilliant productions, so the talent and expertise and the equipment is there. If I had a music video, I would gladly give it to Channel O any day and even pay them flight it if I have to, because they have branded themselves well and have a wider outreach. I guess there are also many legal reasons that prohibit our local TV and radio stations from such expansion, but surely they can do something for the locals. There was a time when we could do without DSTV or SABC and enjoy the best films on our local station ZBC. And even the local productions themselves like Mukadota and Paraffin reflected authentic Zimbabwean scenarios, not the best of quality, but it kept us so entertained! Can someone really explain to me why we cannot go back to that, and even get better? And with the high costs of advertising on the stations, surely something should be done to improve the quality of films being shown.
Okay, now I have to go and watch Prime Gospel Show and enjoy the local music videos! Yoh!
And then we move on to music videos! AMAIHWEE! What is happening to the creativity in this country, or rather, how come those that really know how to make good videos are not doing them for our local consumption? Is it budget constraints? But surely we can make a plan with what we have. I honestly think that our local station is not a reflection of the type of talent that we have in this country and I guess platforms like ZBC have not given the artists an incentive for them to want to be on that station. I know a couple of guys who do filming in this country and they are doing brilliant productions, so the talent and expertise and the equipment is there. If I had a music video, I would gladly give it to Channel O any day and even pay them flight it if I have to, because they have branded themselves well and have a wider outreach. I guess there are also many legal reasons that prohibit our local TV and radio stations from such expansion, but surely they can do something for the locals. There was a time when we could do without DSTV or SABC and enjoy the best films on our local station ZBC. And even the local productions themselves like Mukadota and Paraffin reflected authentic Zimbabwean scenarios, not the best of quality, but it kept us so entertained! Can someone really explain to me why we cannot go back to that, and even get better? And with the high costs of advertising on the stations, surely something should be done to improve the quality of films being shown.
Okay, now I have to go and watch Prime Gospel Show and enjoy the local music videos! Yoh!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Life...
Sometimes I wonder why certain things happen in one’s life. I know there is no way that we can explain why certain things happen and we just have to accept, but sometimes I really am left dazzled at why certain things happen to certain people, myself included. Today i seem to be bumping into wise words by wise people, and it still leaves me in the same state that I started off in...WHY? or am I just being paranoid?
Rose Kennedy highlights that “life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments.” And then I guess well, there is some consolation there. I guess I should just appreciate those good moments that I am experiencing and not worry too much about the long term ha! Mmmh not quite! Yes it’s those moments that make life worth living, but when I really look back to some of the most enjoyable moments in my life, most of them are with the wrong people! And they are not even in my life at the moment, so do i really want to remember those. And then i keep asking why was i even allowed to have those moments with those people anyway if they are just going to walk out of my life as soon as the moments are over? And then some of those moments are with the right people but they are just not at your disposal when you need them, for reasons that we have no control over. God’s plans are just inexplicable I guess! And then Helen Keller throws in some wisdom which I really agree with. She says “life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood” I guess if we use this quote to explain my current state of confusion, we could conclude that I haven’t lived enough to understand half the things that are going on in my life at the moment and will I ever live up to that age? And then i come across Colette who exclaims “what a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I had realised it sooner.” And then i pause to think, what if I am worrying about so much that I am not seeing how good my life is and then one day I am just going to wish I could relive the better days (which are happening now). So i guess I should stop whining and enjoy the “moments”. Then as if Elbert Hubbard was eavesdropping, he echoes similar sentiments “Don’t take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” OMG so true. As much as we can try to make things go the way we want it to, and they usually don’t, the truth of the matter is we are all going to die, sooner or later so i guess it makes more sense to make a legacy and have people remember you for the positive things that you do rather than the negative. Wherever there is life then there is definitely hope. So for as long as I am living I suppose I should always be hopeful.
Rose Kennedy highlights that “life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments.” And then I guess well, there is some consolation there. I guess I should just appreciate those good moments that I am experiencing and not worry too much about the long term ha! Mmmh not quite! Yes it’s those moments that make life worth living, but when I really look back to some of the most enjoyable moments in my life, most of them are with the wrong people! And they are not even in my life at the moment, so do i really want to remember those. And then i keep asking why was i even allowed to have those moments with those people anyway if they are just going to walk out of my life as soon as the moments are over? And then some of those moments are with the right people but they are just not at your disposal when you need them, for reasons that we have no control over. God’s plans are just inexplicable I guess! And then Helen Keller throws in some wisdom which I really agree with. She says “life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood” I guess if we use this quote to explain my current state of confusion, we could conclude that I haven’t lived enough to understand half the things that are going on in my life at the moment and will I ever live up to that age? And then i come across Colette who exclaims “what a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I had realised it sooner.” And then i pause to think, what if I am worrying about so much that I am not seeing how good my life is and then one day I am just going to wish I could relive the better days (which are happening now). So i guess I should stop whining and enjoy the “moments”. Then as if Elbert Hubbard was eavesdropping, he echoes similar sentiments “Don’t take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” OMG so true. As much as we can try to make things go the way we want it to, and they usually don’t, the truth of the matter is we are all going to die, sooner or later so i guess it makes more sense to make a legacy and have people remember you for the positive things that you do rather than the negative. Wherever there is life then there is definitely hope. So for as long as I am living I suppose I should always be hopeful.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Don't know what to call this one.
It is so amazing what other Zimbabweans are doing out there to promote national pride. I guess once you have stayed out of Zimbabwe for a certain period of time, you start to appreciate certain things that are peculiar to Zimbabwe. I tuned in to Zimonline radio and was amazed by how for the whole hour that I was tuned in, all I could hear was local music, some of which I had not even heard before. I was so impressed. I mean, this radio station is playing more local content than our own radio stations! And it varies from sungura, to urban grooves and other genres and then other African sounds here and there. So I was listening to Dj Simba, and he played songs that I haven't heard in ages and some not even at all, and I simply couldn't turn it off because it just brought back memories and enlightened me on some of the work coming out of our very own.
It really got me thinking though, some of the content that we are putting out there makes me wonder what exactly we want to portray about Zimbabwe and our music to the international audience. I remember one of the songs that I heard was talking about facebook! It was a bit silly but funny (no offense to the artist) I don't really remember…or rather I couldn't even gather what the song was going on about but they kept repeating the word Facebook! I thought that was really catchy also maybe because it was on a ragga beat. And then I also thought to myself, what if another person who has no background of what Zimbabwean music is all about were to suddenly tune in and hear this Facebook song? What impression of Zimbabwean music would they have? And this song was followed by a series of other songs that are catchy but you would then ask, “did this person actually pay for studio time to record that?” but then again its all subject to debate as we all have different preferences. I do wish though that some of our better artists would get more airplay and get their music out there because truth be told, there is a lot of talent on the ground in Zim, and some of these artist could be discouraged to actually go out there as they do not see the rewards from actually doing so. But is that really the case or are some of our artists waiting to be fed with opportunities? I mean here in Zim, some believe that you'd have to be a Tuku or a Macheso to actually make a reasonable living out of music!
I beg to differ. I think opportunities are slowly presenting themselves for Zimbabwean artists and one should not expect them to come by themselves. Let's look at this Zimonline radio, this is a group of Zimbabweans namely Prince Chibwe, Simba and Tendai Bako in the UK and Tafadzwa Patience Mushayabasa in Australia who have embarked on a mission to put the listener first. Their product content is 60% Zim, 20% other African & 20% other countries. As an artist I would see this as an opportunity to get my music out there. I even joined the chat group on Skype and it has listeners from all over the world who are mostly Zimbabwean, and who better to buy our music than Zimbabweans abroad. By getting your music to these guys, you know that there are a large number of people out there who will know your music which expands your music distribution as your music will be in demand all over.
I have personally moved from waiting for gigs and have gone on to event creation. Through Wildfire events, we create platforms that will allow artists to showcase their music in an interesting way rather than just having a show where people come to watch you. It's also about making strategic partnerships with people that could bring a new market to listen to your music like fashion designers who host fashion shows that you could perform at. What we need is thinking outside the box and creating opportunities that will allow us to make more money and actually get the status that we deserve as artists. It's about time we “monetize our passion” (Wilbert Chaniwa) and get the best that we can out of out talents.
Lauryn Hill says “Music is supposed to inspire, so how come we ain't getting no higher?” I have seen artists who have shared the stages with the greatest of greats but where are they now. They are in the same position that they have been for the past 10 years, if not worse than they were before they met up with these greats. What is it with artists and “ shavi rehurombe?” when are we going to realize our potential and work extra hard to get what belongs to us? I remember laughing over the weekend with a famous promoter who highlighted that for Beyonce to come to Zim she has requested for close to US$1 million, just for an hour long show. As much as I am not a big Beyonce fan, we have to admit she has worked hard to be where she is now and has made several sacrifices along the way. And many even ask why our very own Tuku charges the “exorbitant” amounts that he charges. Akomana that is a lot of hard work. When I trace these artists’ histories, it is no joke! How do you put a price on art, on something that you alone can do the way that you do it? I say these artists are worth every penny that we give them and even more.
I am going to sound like some marketing rep for Zim online radio, but I like to give credit where it is due. It’s all about passion and igniting that passion! Simba and your team well done for what you are doing for Zimbabwean music! We may not see it now, but I can guarantee you that with time you are going to change the perception people have of the Zimbabwean music industry. Check out www.zimonlineradio.com
Tariro Ruzvidzo
It really got me thinking though, some of the content that we are putting out there makes me wonder what exactly we want to portray about Zimbabwe and our music to the international audience. I remember one of the songs that I heard was talking about facebook! It was a bit silly but funny (no offense to the artist) I don't really remember…or rather I couldn't even gather what the song was going on about but they kept repeating the word Facebook! I thought that was really catchy also maybe because it was on a ragga beat. And then I also thought to myself, what if another person who has no background of what Zimbabwean music is all about were to suddenly tune in and hear this Facebook song? What impression of Zimbabwean music would they have? And this song was followed by a series of other songs that are catchy but you would then ask, “did this person actually pay for studio time to record that?” but then again its all subject to debate as we all have different preferences. I do wish though that some of our better artists would get more airplay and get their music out there because truth be told, there is a lot of talent on the ground in Zim, and some of these artist could be discouraged to actually go out there as they do not see the rewards from actually doing so. But is that really the case or are some of our artists waiting to be fed with opportunities? I mean here in Zim, some believe that you'd have to be a Tuku or a Macheso to actually make a reasonable living out of music!
I beg to differ. I think opportunities are slowly presenting themselves for Zimbabwean artists and one should not expect them to come by themselves. Let's look at this Zimonline radio, this is a group of Zimbabweans namely Prince Chibwe, Simba and Tendai Bako in the UK and Tafadzwa Patience Mushayabasa in Australia who have embarked on a mission to put the listener first. Their product content is 60% Zim, 20% other African & 20% other countries. As an artist I would see this as an opportunity to get my music out there. I even joined the chat group on Skype and it has listeners from all over the world who are mostly Zimbabwean, and who better to buy our music than Zimbabweans abroad. By getting your music to these guys, you know that there are a large number of people out there who will know your music which expands your music distribution as your music will be in demand all over.
I have personally moved from waiting for gigs and have gone on to event creation. Through Wildfire events, we create platforms that will allow artists to showcase their music in an interesting way rather than just having a show where people come to watch you. It's also about making strategic partnerships with people that could bring a new market to listen to your music like fashion designers who host fashion shows that you could perform at. What we need is thinking outside the box and creating opportunities that will allow us to make more money and actually get the status that we deserve as artists. It's about time we “monetize our passion” (Wilbert Chaniwa) and get the best that we can out of out talents.
Lauryn Hill says “Music is supposed to inspire, so how come we ain't getting no higher?” I have seen artists who have shared the stages with the greatest of greats but where are they now. They are in the same position that they have been for the past 10 years, if not worse than they were before they met up with these greats. What is it with artists and “ shavi rehurombe?” when are we going to realize our potential and work extra hard to get what belongs to us? I remember laughing over the weekend with a famous promoter who highlighted that for Beyonce to come to Zim she has requested for close to US$1 million, just for an hour long show. As much as I am not a big Beyonce fan, we have to admit she has worked hard to be where she is now and has made several sacrifices along the way. And many even ask why our very own Tuku charges the “exorbitant” amounts that he charges. Akomana that is a lot of hard work. When I trace these artists’ histories, it is no joke! How do you put a price on art, on something that you alone can do the way that you do it? I say these artists are worth every penny that we give them and even more.
I am going to sound like some marketing rep for Zim online radio, but I like to give credit where it is due. It’s all about passion and igniting that passion! Simba and your team well done for what you are doing for Zimbabwean music! We may not see it now, but I can guarantee you that with time you are going to change the perception people have of the Zimbabwean music industry. Check out www.zimonlineradio.com
Tariro Ruzvidzo
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