Breaking The Harare Arts Monopoly

Zimbabwe is a county rich with talent, if you take time and explore all the corners of the country, all the 10 provinces you will be amazed by the wealth of talent at our disposal. Despite that all the successful ones are based in Harare or at least spend most of their times in Harare. Its understandable to a point because Harare is the biggest city, its the capital city, its the political capital, its the financial capital, its basically the capital of everything. 

All the biggest producers, record labels, are based in Harare, it also plays host to most of the movie production houses (Bulawayo was once a threat in that department.) so most artists, actors, producers, directors tend to relocate to Harare. 

However I feel that in order to fully realize the potential that Zim has in terms of arts there is need for other small cities and towns to step up. It however easier said than done but on this article will be trying to provide some suggestions as to how we can achieve that.

1. Originality

One of the best ways for an artist to create space for themselves is to disrupt it. Creating a different sound and vibe for like what Jah Prayzah did. Every region in Zim has different interpretations of what constitutes good music and that is mainly due to the history of the place. In one region the mbira may be the instrument of choice, in the next region it may be the banjo, marimba, ngoma, hosho..etc. The creatives of that area should do an extensive research of the music in their area and use that as a foundation.

The differences are not only restricted to instruments but also instrumental arrangements, the type of Sungura from Bindura and that from Gwanda is different, the gospel music from Masvingo is different from that which comes from Chinhoyi. because the different regions interpret music differently.  Mutare based Blessing Shumba brought his own unique style of gospel which made his name known all over Zim and also creating the platform for artists such as Mathias Mhere. 

The issue of originality also extends to the various arts promoters in the various regions. Harare has many events and festivals because the promoters are innovative and they know a well planned festival will attract crowds. This must also apply to promoters outside Harare, be innovative with your planning, do not implicitly copy festivals from the capital but tweak them to match the culture and vibe of your region. There is a massive need for the promoters to be innovative and must be willing to take the risk, it not all festivals that succeed in Harare, many become flops but because the promoters refuse to quit it now seems as if every festival is successful. The dynamics of life do not change, failure is part of success and one needs to be resilient, humble and willing to learn if they want to succeed. The main answer that many will echo in response is that "kuno vanhu havaburitse mari as they do in Harare", this is true to an extend but for people to be willing to spend their hard earned money on your festival it depends on how convincing and organised you are, whenever you get a chance give your best because word of mouth is an important weapon.

2. Technology
We are now living in a social media era where nearly every form of art is consumed online. YouTube is the biggest platform for creators at the moment, it gives creators a platform where they are free to express themselves without the controlling arm of national Tv Broadcasters.

Many artists have been complaining about the censorship boards which fails to comprehend the complexity and uniqueness of certain ideas. Social Media now provides a platform where one can showcase their ideas as long as they are legal.

Musicians have been at arms with a lot of radio presenters because they feel there is a lot of favoritism and corruption when it comes to playing music on their respective shows. One can now afford to bypass that using various music platforms that are offered for free online such as Soundcloud, MixCloud, AudioMack..etc.

Its a commendable thing that various cities and towns are now allowed and urged to have their own radio stations. That will go a long way in ensuring that artists from those specific towns get some much needed airplay. It's has been a huge task for artists from smaller cities or towns to get the same airplay as those from Harare. Now what is needed is for the management of those radio stations to prioritize music from their own artists over those from the capital. Have managed to listen to Mutare's Diamond FM and that is the path they are taking and the people from Manicaland are loving it.

In sort of the same vein, those who feel have interesting topics to address or talk about can make use of Podcasts. Not all of those with good conversations can be radio personalities so such people must make use of podcasts which are free and offer much flexibility as compared to radio.


Now aside from creating a platform for creatives to express themselves and make their art available to the masses, social media also provides an efficient marketing tool. One can control how their product is being marketed whilst massively cutting down the costs. There is a however lot of patience and strategy needed as one needs to cultivate a following first before their art begins to get the much needed recognition. The sometimes long and painful wait has led to many artists opting for scandals in order to get attention on themselves, if managed well it works for example Pokello, but it can also backfire and end your young career.

3. Noise & Culture
I may sound like a broken record but I will say it again; To create a mark one has to disrupt, one has to make enough noise that it's impossible for others to ignore you. Hip Hop from Bulawayo is a good example of this, they realized that there are as talented as their H-twn counterparts but getting way  way less attention. So to bridge the attention gap they started building a culture of Hip Hip in the City of Kings & Queens and that growing culture is now making loads of noise on Social media. The radio stations that usually ignored music from the Skiez can no longer ignore them and are even coining Skies the Capital of Hip Hop.

For a certain genre to dominate there is need to create a culture that back the music and movement. It must not just be music but it has to be a full experience. Live it, Showcase It and Expand. Zim Dancehall became the biggest genre in the country when it started to become a culture, it's no longer just music but it now represents the ghetto lifestyle, its a mouthpiece of the people, its an escape for a lot of young people.

4. Extra Work
Now after all is said and done there is need for the creatives to put in the extra work to put their town/city on the map. Before any sponsor or brand decide to partner with you they look at your effort, they have to be convinced that they are partnering someone who is willing to go the extra mile. It's not only about effort alone but strategic effort, the partners want to know you have knowledge of what you are putting your effort in. As an artists if you are not good at marketing research and business strategy, find a manager who is well vested in those areas and that manager must also be willing to go the extra mile.

In every battle there is need for those who are willing to sacrifice, there is need for those who believe in their vision completely, without those the battle will surely be lost. There is need for a leader in every movement so among the creatives there must be those who are willing to lead, face all the backlash, face all the abuse, face all the injustice in order to create a foundation.

5. Spread Out
To get your town on the national map there is need to export some of your best talents to strategic spots outside your region so they can push your culture from another angle. A war is not fought on many fronts. Whilst the people from Bulawayo are making noise pushing their sound and culture to the whole of Zim there have some proudly Bulawayo personalities that are pushing the Byo culture from outside Bulawayo, one such personality is Power Fm DJ Emitty Smooth. He has a different vibe than the DJ's from Htwn, his show has a different sound and listening to his show you can feel the different vibe, he talks so highly about Bluez which makes you want to visit the Town.

6. Branding and Image
Now when one knows their target market, it now time to create an appropriate image and brand that will make you easily recognizable. In the arts sector talent plays for only a small part of your success, most of the ground is covered by your brand and image. Take for example Ammara Brown, her PR team works overtime to make her the big brand that she is today, many like me are not yet convinced by her singing abilities but that does not stop her from taking the biggest female artists spot because her image/brand has strategically positioned her so. It's all about perception in the arts industry, if you get to plant the required perception in peoples minds you have already done most of the work.

Conclusion.

There are many strategies you can implement to put your town/city on the map. Its a collective effort, the artists must pulling all stops to perfect their art, the locals must do their part in cheering, supporting and help them make noise.

Feel free to share with other ideas or strategies artists and promoters should use to ensure their cities and towns are also recognized on the arts stage.

Proud_Zimbo