AS I drove up to the 7 Arts Theatre in Harare last Thursday night, I was hoping hard I would at least get the last 15 minutes of the show. It was futile, I was too late. As I stepped out of the car, there was a sudden stream of people coming out of the arcade. I knew it was over. AngggggghhhhHHH!!!!
The show was the Hip Hop Explosion featuring one of France’s hottest dance groups, Pockemon Crew, who are in Zimbabwe for two shows- one in Harare and another in Bulawayo. I needed to take photos for the show for an article I was doing for a website that the company I work for runs.
“I’m going to get so fired,” I was thinking as I stood there, mouth agape, watching people cheerily walk out.
^ Members of Pockemon Crew sign autographs
However, if there’s one thing that experience has taught me, it is that many times- even if you miss the show- there is a little show with its own life AFTER the show. If you can get backstage, that is!
So, resolutely, I strode forward and against the human tide made my way into the theatre. It didn’t help though that as I went in, I met one of my friends who had an uproarious good laugh when I told her I was just arriving.
The challenge once I was in the theatre was NOT to get back stage as I had expected – there were scores of excited fans there already – but to get to the members of Pockemon.
All I needed was to get some pics of them together, perhaps ask them to do a few moves and take photos of that – but they were surrounded mostly by energy-filled young women asking for autographs, phone numbers and email addresses. It was unbelievable, this excited chaos I was witnessing. How could I compete for attention?
I saw one girl squeeze through the crowd up to one member of the dance crew and ask him to sign an autograph “right here”. For the sake of both yours and my sanity, I will not expound on where “right here” was! But when I saw that, I knew that I was going to have to think fast to get the attention of eight young men ALL at the same time in a room full of adoring female fans.
Then I saw dance instructor and friend Soukaina. I knew she could get me an “official” introduction to the guys and get something going here. I made my way to her and when I explained my predicament, she smiled in a motherly sort of way and led me to one of the group members. I got bits and pieces of what she was saying to him. Including the “Oui, pas de problem,” at the end of his statement. Yay!
He did the rest of the work, rounded up his mates and I got some pictures.
But that’s not the story. As I stood back afterwards, chatting to Soukaina, I was hit by what was happening here. These young people had only just watched these guys perform for the very FIRST time. Why the boundless excitement about them?
I’ve been to numerous Roki, M’afriq, Labash concerts and I have never seen fans go off the handle for Zimbabwean artists like this.
One teenage girl I asked about all the excitement for the Pockemoners said: “They’re so hot!!”
So it was heat that did it? I didn’t get to ask if she meant hot as in good looking, or hot as in their performance. She was off screaming excitedly with her friends about a photo opportunity that had just arisen with one of the Pockemon dudes.
Could it be that these guys were so much better than any local artist?
Flashback. Remember when there was a discussion in the media about the use of backtracks by urban grooves artists? Fans complained that live shows with Urban Groovers were not much fun because they didn’t use live bands.
I was convinced that this was a bona fide reason until Malaika came to Zimbabwe, I think that was in 2005. I attended that concert and there they were, Tshedi, Jabu and Bongani on stage with two dancers – but no band. Just backtracks. Were the fans perturbed? NOT at all. That was one of the most fun-filled concerts I have ever attended.
^ Zimbos going crazy for Joe Thomas
After that night, with Malaika, I started thinking that it wasn’t an issue of back-tracks. There was something deeper that was the problem here.
Could it be that Malaika are so much better than any of our local artists?
Then I remembered something else. In December 2004, Australian-based Audius Mtawarira performed at the Sports Diner during a short visit to Zimbabwe. The audience there was mostly women who, screaming deliriously, threw themselves at him as he belted out his famous ballads.
Thinking back at that experience, I wonder if Audius was that good a singer or that he was good AND based in Australia that made him a specimen for fanatical adoration.
Remember Joe Thomas in Zimbabwe early this year? I didn’t attend the show but a friend of mine commented: “It was like people lost their heads.”
What I’d give to see that happening for a Zimbabwean artist! In the meantime, I’m still puzzled, wondering why local is still not scream-fanatical-lekker…
I think we are yet to get to a point where we reach that sort of fervour for our artists. It will come. Part of the process is getting other countries to appreciate our artists. Take Tuku for example. It was only when other people started appreciating him that we as Zimbabweans made him our superstar.
its pure stereotyping.Zimbos admire anything that is foreign.The reasoning is that its different and presumably beta.e.g,i bet if u sell local mineral water inscribed “made in SA/USA” it’ll sell like hotcakes as opposed to it bn local.
However, both promoters & artists shld shoulder part-blame for not bn aggressive on an artistic level.Artists must be more creative and stop bn ordinary.No one wants ordinary- its not HOT! a bit of controversy on stage helps the foreigners to sell. Musaite hunhu pa stage!
I see this as a passing phase.Not long back our local musicians were always made supporting artists to the foreign legion(the Kofis of Rhumba atrists,Sibo Makabane of Gospel).Howeva each tym the local guys outshone the foreign bands yet they got less $$$. Im sure if upcoming artists reach the stage of Tuku & Macheso in terms of professionalism & creativity the audience wl respond positively.
As a woman who might find some of these international artists ‘hot’ i think the big difference is the marketing. International artists are very stage managed, their image is controlled they may just be ordinary looking people but thier videos and performance is made so that women are screaming. I think Zimbabwean artist are improving, but in this business image is everything and music comes after. So they may be better artists or as good as international acts but it is their image that does not bring them favour.
I agree with Mike and Tonderai.To add on Zimbabweans will never appreciate their own.Even here in the diaspora Zimbabwean men boost their esteem if they are seen in the company of white women.Black women also appreciate white men more than their own.Americans and other white countries make their own artists superstars and instead of Africans making their own superstars they continue making Britney a superstars then it appears as if there are no superstars in Africa.Shame stereki.Africa remains a dark continent because of our attitudes.
Local is and will alwaise be lekker to me. But the artists you talk about the Rokis have to take them selves seriously for them to get that much recognition and screems.
When Malaika perform they connect with the crowd. The crowd matters to them Bongani dishes out as many room numbers as he can but he connects with the fans. Roki steps on stage and he is half drunk and it is all about him. Our artist s are good but the should be very proffessional in their conduct
zim artists are not of any level to raise your eyebrows except for a few (personally leonard dembo). ask me why its simple and straight foward. you dont turn to music because you want to make money you sing because you can and have the talent. Samanyemba what is that, sorry utakataka, but i remember this man being interviewed on tv years back and he was on about making pillows using hair from the barbershop and i am like wait a minute is he making sense here or what. besides that a role model for who not me he’s done rhumba from the DRC also IMITATED DEMBO so what identity can i link him to. record companies do they look after artists or they jus want to make money i’ve seen ZMC DVDs etc total shite if you ask me cheap quality dvds from cheap musicians pamuchato wababa pamuchato wasisi that is bullshit to me. most of these people dont even know what the school of music is like and they just wake nezviroto zvavo to go and sing personally who can’t sing in zimbabwe if people can have a hit song called matinetsa. zimbos please i might as well sing ba ba black sheep and win song of the year
I agree with much of the input above. Our local artist lack professional management and resources to promote not only their music but their images. Unless more money is put in showbiz there is nothing to admire about the life they live except just their good music. Its pathetic but I believe with a lot of feedback from Zimbos who have been everywhere we have the brains to help make this industry a thriving one. Business community have not been keen to associate their products with our musicians and so all the freebies the likes of Joe Thomas get are a rare opportunity for our local talent. Perhaps when i see Roki driving a posche car from Zimoco or living in a nice house refurbished by a local company we start to talk about made in zim for zims. We will be so attracted to their style (we wanna buy ervything they own) and eventually our girls will scream for their autographs you know where. good article Fungai. I wish the business community would get a point from this.
It appears Zimbabweans we have a self hate issue which applies across the board not just to our musicians. We grew up ne ma Nose Brigade/Salads and it appeared if you didnt speak and pronunce words just so you were subject to mockery and laughter ende kutaura shona was just “dont even go there”. I used to go see Tuku live at Queens and he would get no love back in the days, vana Majaivana, Dembo they got no love from their own and survival was always tuff for our musicians. Tuku of then performed better live shows than he does now arguably but now he gets love coz he s won the hearts of other nations. The trend doesnt change, vana Roki are good performers and ma shows avo ari more professional than mamwe ma shows emuno mu Diaspora but they have replaced vana Dembo and they will not receive accolades til the caskets drop sa John Chibadura and the likes. Vana Mugabe vanongotonga and people will see one man oppose and voice against him named Tsvangi and the consensus from Zimbaz is Ah haana kufunda, haana kunaka huso hwake, vana Mugabe vachiuraya nyika takatarisa just becoz kanotaura chivhet stereki. The problems is big Zimbabweans, colonialists made sure we loathed ourselves and anything that represents ourselves and unfortunately with view to this story ye vaimbi veku France we appear to have passed it down to our next generation.
i self hte chete yatiinayo kani. we cant seem to pull ourseves out of this pit of self loathing. Envy probably has a lot to do with it as well, when zimbos see another trying to make it big, we think “anoshamisira chii ko iyeye, even i can do that.” we wont give mwana wevhu credit for his talent coz isu hatina talent yacho
In order for the Zimbos to know your ass if you are a local artist you gotta wear a name tag. This is messed up!!!
24]Студенческая парочка страстно трахается на диване
Большой и черный сайт знакомств манго Попка тоже жаждет любви знакомства для а липецк
Пойманные врасплох на пляжах и виллах, звезды предстают в совсем другом качестве – их жизнь как на ладони и им некуда скрыться, кому не хочется узнать, как живут их любимые звезды и как они занимаются сексом? Их находят в любых уголках мира – где они пытаются скрыться от глаз поклонников. секс знакомства николаева форум Крепкие члены трахают сочные киски.
Лучшие модели со всего мира собрались на этой сцене. Показ любви и страсти. Посмотри как они занимаются сексом прилюдно, прямо на сцене никого не стесняясь. Толпа в восторге, девочки в экстазе. Возбуждение переходит все разумные пределы, когда начинается самое горячее и запретное действо. знакомства с трансами .пермь Групповая порка интим знакомства в выборге
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Its not about hating locals bt we cnt jus support rubbish u shld go out there and represent yoself with sumthing betta on the upmarket rather than throwing trash and u want pple support u jus coz ua local NEVER NEVER NEVER.Tuku pple dnt cry foul long back when he used to sing Chimbambaira chirimupoto wat do u expect when he started singing good muzik everybody applauded him thts wat put him on the map since then he is a legendary
Look to what TK Paradza is doin the likes of Audius